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S.Korean soap opera sparks boom in China
By Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-09-30 06:22

South Korean movies and television series have been popular in China for almost a decade. What is the secret behind this and other shows that have Chinese fans scrambling for the nation's food and fashion?


South Korean TV soap opera "Dae Jang Geum" is winning over Chinese audiences thanks to actress Lee Young-Ae in the title role and the delicate art of Korean cuisine. [file photo]

"Han liu" a transliteration of "cold front" is the Chinese acronym for "Korean trends," referring to the appeal of pop culture from South Korea. It's recently reached a new peak with the airing of "Dae Jang Geum."

Also called "The Great Jang Geum" or "Jewel in the Palace," "Dae Jang Geum" is a 2003 television soap opera produced by South Korean TV channel MBC. It has been sweeping across much of the Chinese-speaking world Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese communities in San Francisco, Chicago as well as in Malaysia.

In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, more than 100,000 people watched the series, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The figure exceeds that of ABC's "Extreme Makeover," the WB's "Starlet" or PBS' "Live from Lincoln Centre," which are shown in a similar time slot, according to the daily.

Now the show has come to the Chinese mainland.

Hunan Satellite Television paid 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) to buy the mainland distribution rights. It purportedly has already doubled its investment by simply reselling the rights to other regional stations.

This does not include revenues from commercials. Its claim to first airing in the mainland market, however, was sabotaged by China Entertainment Television Broadcast Limited, a Tom Group company. The satellite television channel started airing the show on August 15, half a month before its debut on Hunan Satellite TV.

The show is about Jang Geum, a royal physician in the early days of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Many assert that the character is based on the real life of the first female royal physician in Korean history. Others argue she is more likely a composite of several historical characters.

Audiences, however, hardly care for the details. They have been swept off the ground by the exquisite beauty of Lee Young-Ae, the actress who plays the title role, and more importantly, by the delicate craft of Korean cuisine and medicine.
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