A Hong Kong school is using the heroine of a Korean soap opera set in the
19th century to teach its pupils life skills, a teacher said Tuesday. Yau Ma Tei
Catholic School has adopted the hit show "Jewel in the Palace" as a model for a
series of classes in which pupils recreate real-life situations and work out how
the lead character would tackle them.
"Dae Jung Geum embodies the sort of qualities and values that we would like
our children to have," said Patsy Leung, the school's head of civic education.
In the period drama, set in Korea's 19th-century Joseon Dynasty, Dae Jung
Geum is a servant girl who rises up to become the only female doctor in the
emperor's court.
The character's determination and indomitable spirit made her an instant
heroine among Asian TV viewers, garnering the show record audiences last year.
It was a major part of the so-called "Korean Wave" of popular culture that
swept briefly across Asia last year and made stars of Korean actors and pop
singers such as Rain.
"Dae Jung Geum is a strong character who never gives up, no matter how tough
the problem," said Leung. "She is also a good role model to girls, because she
fought against the male-dominated hierarchy and sexism of her time."
In some of the classes, pupils role play situations as the TV heroine, even
dressing in her trademark traditional white Korean gowns.
The Korean television channel that made the show granted the school
permission to use five minutes of footage in classes. "Our pupils play the parts
of the characters in problem-solving situations interspersed with real footage,"
said Leung.
"It allows us to use it as teaching material and is part of our movie-making
class too. We hope the pupils will also be able to take it home and pass on the
teachings and values of Dae Jung Geum to their family."