2nd$seminar$of$king's$asian$cci research$society$ · 2015. 2. 11. · food$as$partof$...
TRANSCRIPT
Food as part of Hallyu (Korean Wave)
2nd Seminar of King's Asian CCI Research Society
Eun-‐hee Kim & Sun-‐kyu Lee
What is Hallyu?
• Korean Wave (한류; 韓流; Hallyu)
-‐ "Hánliú" (韓流) literally means "flow of Korea“
-‐ Expression referring to the increase in the popularity of South Korean culture since the late 1990s -‐ The term was originally coined in mid-‐1999 by Beijing journalists who were surprised by China's growing interest in South Korean culture
Hallyu & Dae Jang Geum (2005) • Dae Jang Geum is a very first Korean drama which made a huge success in China and leaded Hallyu
• Story about a kitchen cook, Jang-‐Geum, who became the first female physician of King in Joseon Dynasty – her struggle to learn the secrets of tradi]onal Korean cooking and medicine
>> Audiences could see various elements of Korean culture such as clothes and cuisine
• Imported by Hunan Satellite TV • Ra]ng debut -‐ 8.6%, and even 10% for ci]es like Shanghai and Changsha, which ranks first of all ra]ngs at the same slot over the country
• Ra]ngs peaked at 180 million viewers (14% viewer ra]ng in China) – excep]onally high in terms of satellite TV ra]ngs.
• 150 million yuan (£16 million) of adver]sing revenue for the first quarter of 2005
>> Unprecedented financial returns for the sta]on, Hunan TV, over 35 million yuan (£3.7 million)
Sta]s]cs about Dae Jang Geum
Korean Food in Dae Jang Geum
?
However…
• Despite its massive success in China, the Korean food did not get enough alen]on to be a new cultural trend
• Korean food in K-‐Drama was s]ll remained as a thing to see, not to “eat” or “cook” in China
Now, My Love from the Star (2014)
• South Korean television series about an alien who landed on Earth in the Joseon Dynasty and, 400 years later, falls in love with a top actress in the modern era
• The series casted Soo-‐hyun Kim (an alien) and Ji-‐hyun Jun (a top actress) as main characters
Alien Actress
Another Huge Success in China • My Love from the Star became the most expensive Korean drama in China; US$35,000 per episode
• One of the most viewed streaming shows on Chinese plaqorm iQiyi, which is official importer of My Love from the Star -‐ more than 2.5 billion views
• Now ABC has worked for the American remake of My Love from the Star
• Xiao Lixin from China Daily – 1) great innova]ons in terms of themes and narra]ve palerns, 2)logical and fast-‐paced plot with whimsy and roman]c punch lines, 3) high-‐speed photography and CGI for lifelike visual impact
And, “Chi-‐Mac” (Chicken & Beer)
KFC Commercial in China
hlps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd3uVIjJEQg
Now Chinese people eat Korean Food (Chi-‐Mac)
And take wedding pictures on the set of My Love from the Star !!
News about ‘Chi-‐Mac’ fever in China
(from 1:23-‐2:16)
hlps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFvDmDEXWAs
Why now?!
• Above all, the “ac]ve young genera]on” became the central recipients of K-‐Drama
• Thanks to the technological advance (e.g. Internet), the young Chinese recipients could watch the show and share the review on SNS faster than ever
• As a result, as the interest about the show rapidly increases, more and more people try to “experience” Korean culture more directly like the Chi-‐Mac case
Indeed, it is more than “Chi-‐Mac” • Instant Noodle -‐ Consump]on of Korean instant noodle also rose to a record high in China, while the drama aired; as the couple has enjoyed a bowl of noodles
• Cheon Song-‐yi’s Fashion/Style
In summary,
• The boom of Chi-‐Mac in China implies that the influence of Hallyu is stronger than ever before
• At the same ]me, it shows that now the culture has been created and consumed by “audiences” more directly and quite unpredictably
• However, despite the democra]c movement, it should be cau]ous that the new cultural trend is normally related with excessive “commercialism”
• Plus, to create beler cultural product, both Korea and China should find a proper cultural “balance”