The phalanx of female soldiers at the National Day parade was such a hit that the Defence Ministry has decided it wants more - and has announced that a new round of recruitment will begin this winter.
That ought to make President Hu Jintao's smile even bigger.
The government has also raised the age limit for recruits to 24, according to China News Service. Previously, applications were only accepted from females aged 17 to 19.
But they must be fresh graduates from high school, full-time undergraduates or university graduates, the report said.
Previously, most applicants were young girls from rural areas or their urban counterparts who failed to land jobs. The latest batch of recruits were mainly high school graduates.
According to the Fujian Daily, many female undergraduates in the province said the grand military parade was so impressive they had decided to become soldiers.
The report quoted Dong Ying, a student at Yang-En University who is to graduate next summer, saying that after she had called the local recruitment office for information, she expressed her passion to join the army.