Dae Jang Geum

Korean actress Yang Mi Kyung, who has acted in Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum) had visited Hunan, China in September 2005 and met with her fans.

Smiling Korean actress Yang Mi Kyung

Gift from Yang Mi Kyung - Korean ginseng

Fans gave bamboo flute to their Korean idol

Fan gave Hunan embroiders to Yang Mi Kyung

Gift to the Korean actress Yang Mi Kyung from little fan

Hunan TV that broadcast Jewel in the Palace in China gave red porcelain to the favorite Korean actress Yang.

Yang Mi Kyung in the news conference.

Tasting of food at a TV event.

Small fan in Korean traditional dress presented flower to Korean actress Mi Kyung.

Photos of Yang Mi Kyung, or more famously known as Lady Han in Jewel in the Palace.

Yang Mi Kyung when visiting to China.

The vast Chinese mainland is mesmerized by the Korean historical soap “Daejanggeum, (A Jewel in the Palace).” Hunan TV, which started airing the program on Sept. 1 from 10 p.m. to midnight, is keeping up the advertising pressure, inviting Lee Young-ae, who plays the heroine, to China early next month, and designating the show’s theme song as compulsory repertoire for the five contestants remaining on “Super Girl,” a Chinese version of “American Idol.”

“Daejanggeum” topped the ratings chart with 14 percent in 31 cities across China as of Sept. 19 and is generating a Korean boom in economic, social and cultural fields.

CDs and books related to the show sell like hot cakes in Beijing, with the book accompanying the series taking sixth place in the fiction bestseller list last week.

Wedding photographers offer the heroine Janggeum’s bridal dresses at 7,000 yuan (W910,000), and many mothers are buying Korean traditional dress for their soon-to-be-wedded daughters. In Shanghai and Hunan, plastic surgery clinics are reportedly packed with women who want to look more like Lee Young-ae.

Not even the top ranks of the Communist Party are spared. Chinese President Hu Jintao told Moon Hee-sang, the leader of the ruling Uri Party, last week it was a shame his busy schedule keeps him from watching every episode. Top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo, No.2 in the party hierarchy, said in a private conversation that he enjoys watching “Daejanggeum” because his wife loves Korean TV soap operas. Chinese media last week reported a housewife threw herself in the river because her husband did not let her watch the show.

The Chinese media evaluates the trend favorably. The newsletter of the Culture Ministry said the series “is in the forefront of promoting Korean culture to the world by showing Korea’s history, culinary and fashion culture and the spirit of national pride.

The China Youth Daily said “all Chinese people” love “Daejanggeum”; romantics are indulged in the love story, the ambitious are inspired by the strong will of Janggeum, and gourmets are absorbed in the food. The people of China rediscover lost dreams and social values in the soap, the paper said.

Source: Digital Chosunilbo 30 Sept 2005