South Korean TV dramas create a lifestyle frenzy
- By Li Xinran
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, March 10, 2014
According to China Central Television, when a South Korean drama, film or song earns US$100 in exports, that nation of 50 million people pockets another US$400 by selling its various industrial products.
From Wonder Girls' "Nobody" to PSY’s “Gangnam Style,” from “Endless Love” to the latest “My Love from the Star,” South Korean cultural products are always a hit overseas. Viewers praise the exquisitely made props, costumes and exotic performances.
Despite the out-of-date screen lays and predictable story lines, the shows with pretty actresses and handsome actors in fairy-tale settings guarantee a big viewership. They offer a touchable daydream based on a South Korean lifestyle — the best promotion for the country and its products.
Our neighbor South Korea experienced hard times during the global financial crisis, but the economy has largely recovered with the aid of its cultural exports, according to CCTV’s International Channel.
South Korean electronics, gadgets, food and fashion now represent style trends not only in China but in many other countries and regions.
Soft power
However, I have never heard of any Chinese lifestyle frenzy triggered by Chinese TV dramas, films or music. Though some Chinese products, like DVD player, are best sellers overseas, it’s difficult to say that they convey any soft power.
In fact, Chinese style today is far from being well received overseas, far from attracting fans, and certainly no worshippers.
Take a look at what’s aired on Chinese TV screens during prime time: soap operas set during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-1945) or imperial power struggles in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Most of them are crudely made. Viewers are usually surprised by strange dialogue, weird costumes and shoddy props. The key message is alto defeat your rival or kill your enemy. Even in romantic comedies, the lead actor must fight his future parents-in-law, his competitors and his ex-girlfriend to win his new beloved.
The South Korean government has enacted preferential policies to support its strategy of boosting cultural exports of all kinds. The effect has been a major economic success as well as a victory of soft power, according to CCTV.
Meanwhile, Chinese TV producers complain that the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression is not their favorite subject, but it can be easily approved by the state media watchdog because of innocuous content.
Perhaps our culture authorities have been too focused on ideology, which doesn’t win overseas fans. Why not learn from our neighbor to do a better job of projecting the soft power?
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