Wang Qishan draws lesson from craze for Korean drama, but Chinese media split on what that lesson is
Media scramble to interpret Wang Qishan's remark about Korean drama's success and what China can learn from it
A highly popular Korean drama is all the talk at the annual legislative meetings in Beijing.
"Have you all seen that trendy online drama called … something star?" Wang Qishan, China's anti-corruption chief asked, referring to the Korean drama My Love from the Star, during a panel discussion with National People's Congress delegates.
Met with silence, the 65-year-old Wang said, "You see? None of you officials know it," prompting a burst of laughter from the room, according to a report by The Beijing News newspaper on Wednesday.
My Love from the Star, about a woman's romance with an alien, has developed a cult following in China. The show, broadcast on two Chinese video websites, is searched for by more than two million people a day and has been watched 14.5 billion times on just one of the sites.
Korean restaurants across China have also seen a surge of customers, thanks to the show. Some rushed to introduce a dish of fried chicken, pickled radish and two bottles of beer, a combo the female star eats in the show.
"I've been wondering why Korean dramas have [charmed] Chinese. How can they cross the ocean and influence the US and even Europe? In the past few years, they come out with a Gangnam Style," said Wang.