A video has surfaced from China showing a three-year-old girl who keeps dropping off to sleep during rehearsals for a New Year show.

In the video, shot in Hulunbuir City in northern China's Inner Mongolia on January 6, all the children except the one girl start to dance to the music on stage.

After the girl's mum and teacher run onto the stage to wake her up, she nods off again during the second attempt to rehearse.

The children were exhausted as they got up at around 6 am to prepare for the performance, according to reporters.