Washington Post highlights Korean drama fever in China

“Why China can’t make soap operas as good as South Korea’s?”

Watching the Korean soap opera “My Love from the Star,” which enjoys immense popularity, Chinese people are self-reflecting, a leading U.S. daily reported. In a front page story from Beijing printed in its Saturday issue, the Washington Post presented in-depth analysis of the “My Love from the Star fever,” which is making a great splash across the Chinese continent.

The newspaper said that the Korean drama “My Love from the Star” was the hottest topic at the "Lianghui" (National People`s Congress and Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference), the biggest political event in China. The daily noted that after the heroine in the soap opera mentioned ‘Chicken and beer (on a snowy day)’ in one episode, Korean style fried chicken stores saw sales sharply rise in China.”

The storyline of the soap opera, which suggests that an alien accidentally arrives on the earth 400 years ago and falls in love with a star actress, sounds bizarre to Westerners, but Chinese leaders are lamenting why “China can’t make soap operas as good as Korea’s.” The Washington Post also introduced its analysis that the reason is Chinese dramas and movies must pass strict state censorship.

According to the U.S. daily, the popularity of the Korean drama dealt a heavy blow to Chinese confidence in their culture, and gave Chinese a chance to reflect upon themselves. The drama created by China’s Asian rival has dealt an even heavier blow after DreamWorks` animation film "Kung Fu Panda" damaged Chinese confidence in 2008.

The Washington Post said, “This time around, the angst over the Korean drama carries with it bitterness about regional rivalries. While China has long considered itself the source of East Asian culture, the domination of Japanese comics and Korean soap operas in Chinese pop culture challenges that view.” Korean soap operas enjoy popularity because they highlight many aspects of China’s traditional culture, the newspaper added.