Dae Jang Geum

Entertainment is one of the biggest reasons people go online.

A look at the top Internet searches in China for the year proves that the country’s 103 million Internet users just want to have fun.

Top 10 keyword searches on Baidu.com in 2005:

1. MP3

2. “Super Girl” (Chao Ji Nu Sheng), the televised singing competition similar to “American Idol” was widely watched across the country

3. “Fairy Tale,” a pop song by a Malaysian singer

4. QQ, the most popular online chatting software

5. Li Yuchun, the winner of “Super Girl”

6. “Dae Jang Geum” or “Jewel in the Palace,” a South Korean TV series

7. “The Myth,” a movie starring Jackie Chan

8. “San Jiang,” an educational program for members of the Chinese Communist Party

9. “Kill the God,” an Internet novel

10. O2jam or Jing Yuetuan, an online music game.

Top news searches

1. Shenzhou VI

2. Bird flu

3. Ba Jin, a legendary author who died in October

4. Liu Xiang, the Shanghai native who won a gold medal in the 110m hurdles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece

The top searches show people crave information about popular things and want it before newspapers, magazines and TV can provide it.

It also shows people are attracted to a growing amount of content that is only available online such as games, novels and Mp3.

Hot topics in the Internet industry

China published a guideline on news Websites in September to better regulate the sector and prevent false or distorted information from spreading online. Meanwhile, it also urged Websites to register for tightened regulation. For example, Intel China’s Website was blocked last week due to a delay in registering.The online diary is the most welcomed Web 2.0 application. Big names like Sina, MSN, Blogcn, Hexun and Tianya have launched services in the country.

By the end of November, a total of 36.82 million blog Websites have been established. Another 16 million have written blogs, meaning every blogger has 2.3 blog Websites on average, according to Baidu.

In the initial stage, Web 2.0 firms needed capital from venture capital companies, like IDG and Softbank, which invested in Ctrip, Baidu and Alibaba.

Some blog service providers and multimedia online magazine publishers have received funding — about US$10 million each —from VC firms.

Hot topics in telecommunications

IPTV — Internet protocol television in the complete form. The service, representing the convergence of Internet, television and telecom networks, is expected to be adopted next year.

UTStarcom and Siemens claimed they have kicked off trial IPTV services in Shanghai already.

But questions remain, who has the right to stay in the sector: telecom operators or media groups?

3G — Still the hottest topic. Every one says licenses will be issued next year. People said the same thing one year ago and nothing happened.

Cun Cun Tong — Means fixed line phone coverage in every village in China. By the end of October, the network covered more than 96 percent of villages and the whole project will be finished by the end of this year. After that, more than 800 million peasants will be able to make a simple phone call.

Source: China Daily 26 Dec 2005

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?

“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.

Secret formula

Why are so many people glued to a glacially paced Korean show about a person who lived hundreds of years ago?

The formula is not a secret and opinions do not diverge. Both experts and viewers agree, “Dae Jang Geum” grabs, tickles and warms us because it seems exotic. Yet it has such a familiar ring to it that makes viewers comfortable.

The Chinese culture and the Korean culture overlap in many ways. So Chinese audiences can easily identify with the characters and their behaviours, said Jiao Yan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “We see a purer form of Confucianism and are refreshed by it because we feel a sense of belonging.”

Wang Li, a Beijing publisher who is on the South Korean bandwagon and has the Chinese rights to several South Korean best-sellers, concurs: “The Confucius tradition reflected in these Korean dramas and books are like dj vu to us because we cannot find it in our own writers and artists. Besides, a whole family of several generations can enjoy a show together as it is devoid of sex and violence.”

Melodrama is a staple to soap opera fans everywhere and this show is no exception. Jang Geum goes through some tough times, such as palace politics, misunderstandings and persecution, but she endures.

On top of everything, in the show, the preparation of Korean food is shown as meticulously presented as in a cooking programme. It is so instructive that it has become something like a Martha Stewart episode on how to eat well and eat healthy.

Increasing influence

The first South Korean drama arrived in the Chinese mainland in 1993, but it hardly made any ripples. In 1997, when CCTV aired another series, literally translated as “What Is Love?,” it garnered 4.2 per cent in ratings, much higher than an average show.

That year was considered the official beginning of “han liu.” Since then, China has been inundated non-stop by popular dramas from South Korea.

The trend reached a crescendo in 2002. When CCTV aired shows like “Lady Mermaid” in the night-owl slot of 11 pm. They were consistently rewarded with ratings as high as 10 per cent. That year, a total of 67 South Korean television shows debuted on screens nationwide.

It was also during 2002 when “My Sassy Girl (Yeopgijeogin geunyeo),” a Korean film portraying a gorgeous but somewhat sadistic girl, stole the hearts of millions across China. The film reaped tens of millions of yuan at the box office. The feat was achieved despite bootleg DVD that had flooded the market.

In 2004, import of South Korean television drama series reached another apex with 104 shows, and 13 Korean films participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Spill-over effect

Chinese audiences swooning over Korean pop culture has created an industry bigger than box office receipts and high television ratings.

It is said that, Bae Jong-joon, the bespectacled star of many popular South Korean movies and TV shows, helped an export boom in 2004 that experts pegged at US$2.3 billion.

Its pop culture has added an aura to anything Korean. This applies not only to cultural or lifestyle products such as books, recordings, food and clothes, but also to home electronics and high-tech.

The penchant of South Korean actresses and actors, too to have a facelift has had a palpable effect on the cosmetic surgery business in China. As people marvel at the “before” and “after” photos of Korean beauties, the stigma about surgically changing one’s appearance is quickly dissipating.

Others have expressed that the “cultural mecca” of China’s Y Generation is now Seoul. It has replaced Europe and the United States as a place of inspiration.

South Korea is currently China’s fifth largest trading partner. In 2004, bilateral trade reached US$90 billion, from a mere US$5 billion 13 years earlier. It has an accumulative 32,275 investment projects in China, totaling US$25.9 billion while China’s investment in South Korea is US$900 million with only 91 projects.

Source: China Daily 30 Sep 2005

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?

“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.

Secret formula

Why are so many people glued to a glacially paced Korean show about a person who lived hundreds of years ago?

The formula is not a secret and opinions do not diverge. Both experts and viewers agree, “Dae Jang Geum” grabs, tickles and warms us because it seems exotic. Yet it has such a familiar ring to it that makes viewers comfortable.

The Chinese culture and the Korean culture overlap in many ways. So Chinese audiences can easily identify with the characters and their behaviours, said Jiao Yan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “We see a purer form of Confucianism and are refreshed by it because we feel a sense of belonging.”

Wang Li, a Beijing publisher who is on the South Korean bandwagon and has the Chinese rights to several South Korean best-sellers, concurs: “The Confucius tradition reflected in these Korean dramas and books are like dj vu to us because we cannot find it in our own writers and artists. Besides, a whole family of several generations can enjoy a show together as it is devoid of sex and violence.”

Melodrama is a staple to soap opera fans everywhere and this show is no exception. Jang Geum goes through some tough times, such as palace politics, misunderstandings and persecution, but she endures.

On top of everything, in the show, the preparation of Korean food is shown as meticulously presented as in a cooking programme. It is so instructive that it has become something like a Martha Stewart episode on how to eat well and eat healthy.

Increasing influence

The first South Korean drama arrived in the Chinese mainland in 1993, but it hardly made any ripples. In 1997, when CCTV aired another series, literally translated as “What Is Love?,” it garnered 4.2 per cent in ratings, much higher than an average show.

That year was considered the official beginning of “han liu.” Since then, China has been inundated non-stop by popular dramas from South Korea.

The trend reached a crescendo in 2002. When CCTV aired shows like “Lady Mermaid” in the night-owl slot of 11 pm. They were consistently rewarded with ratings as high as 10 per cent. That year, a total of 67 South Korean television shows debuted on screens nationwide.

It was also during 2002 when “My Sassy Girl (Yeopgijeogin geunyeo),” a Korean film portraying a gorgeous but somewhat sadistic girl, stole the hearts of millions across China. The film reaped tens of millions of yuan at the box office. The feat was achieved despite bootleg DVD that had flooded the market.

In 2004, import of South Korean television drama series reached another apex with 104 shows, and 13 Korean films participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Spill-over effect

Chinese audiences swooning over Korean pop culture has created an industry bigger than box office receipts and high television ratings.

It is said that, Bae Jong-joon, the bespectacled star of many popular South Korean movies and TV shows, helped an export boom in 2004 that experts pegged at US$2.3 billion.

Its pop culture has added an aura to anything Korean. This applies not only to cultural or lifestyle products such as books, recordings, food and clothes, but also to home electronics and high-tech.

The penchant of South Korean actresses and actors, too to have a facelift has had a palpable effect on the cosmetic surgery business in China. As people marvel at the “before” and “after” photos of Korean beauties, the stigma about surgically changing one’s appearance is quickly dissipating.

Others have expressed that the “cultural mecca” of China’s Y Generation is now Seoul. It has replaced Europe and the United States as a place of inspiration.

South Korea is currently China’s fifth largest trading partner. In 2004, bilateral trade reached US$90 billion, from a mere US$5 billion 13 years earlier. It has an accumulative 32,275 investment projects in China, totaling US$25.9 billion while China’s investment in South Korea is US$900 million with only 91 projects.

Source: China Daily 30 Sep 2005