South Korean movies and television series have been popular in China for almost a decade. What is the secret behind this and other shows that have Chinese fans scrambling for the nation's food and fashion?

"Han liu" a transliteration of "cold front" is the Chinese acronym for "Korean trends," referring to the appeal of pop culture from South Korea. It's recently reached a new peak with the airing of "Dae Jang Geum."

Also called "The Great Jang Geum" or "Jewel in the Palace," "Dae Jang Geum" is a 2003 television soap opera produced by South Korean TV channel MBC. It has been sweeping across much of the Chinese-speaking world Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Chinese communities in San Francisco, Chicago as well as in Malaysia.

In the San Francisco Bay Area alone, more than 100,000 people watched the series, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The figure exceeds that of ABC's "Extreme Makeover," the WB's "Starlet" or PBS' "Live from Lincoln Centre," which are shown in a similar time slot, according to the daily.

Now the show has come to the Chinese mainland.

Hunan Satellite Television paid 10 million yuan (US$1.2 million) to buy the mainland distribution rights. It purportedly has already doubled its investment by simply reselling the rights to other regional stations.

This does not include revenues from commercials. Its claim to first airing in the mainland market, however, was sabotaged by China Entertainment Television Broadcast Limited, a Tom Group company. The satellite television channel started airing the show on August 15, half a month before its debut on Hunan Satellite TV.

The show is about Jang Geum, a royal physician in the early days of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Many assert that the character is based on the real life of the first female royal physician in Korean history. Others argue she is more likely a composite of several historical characters.

Audiences, however, hardly care for the details. They have been swept off the ground by the exquisite beauty of Lee Young-Ae, the actress who plays the title role, and more importantly, by the delicate craft of Korean cuisine and medicine.

Secret formula

Why are so many people glued to a glacially paced Korean show about a person who lived hundreds of years ago?

The formula is not a secret and opinions do not diverge. Both experts and viewers agree, "Dae Jang Geum" grabs, tickles and warms us because it seems exotic. Yet it has such a familiar ring to it that makes viewers comfortable.

The Chinese culture and the Korean culture overlap in many ways. So Chinese audiences can easily identify with the characters and their behaviours, said Jiao Yan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "We see a purer form of Confucianism and are refreshed by it because we feel a sense of belonging."

Wang Li, a Beijing publisher who is on the South Korean bandwagon and has the Chinese rights to several South Korean best-sellers, concurs: "The Confucius tradition reflected in these Korean dramas and books are like dj vu to us because we cannot find it in our own writers and artists.

Besides, a whole family of several generations can enjoy a show together as it is devoid of sex and violence."

Melodrama is a staple to soap opera fans everywhere and this show is no exception. Jang Geum goes through some tough times, such as palace politics, misunderstandings and persecution, but she endures.

On top of everything, in the show, the preparation of Korean food is shown as meticulously presented as in a cooking programme. It is so instructive that it has become something like a Martha Stewart episode on how to eat well and eat healthy.

Increasing influence

The first South Korean drama arrived in the Chinese mainland in 1993, but it hardly made any ripples. In 1997, when CCTV aired another series, literally translated as "What Is Love?," it garnered 4.2 per cent in ratings, much higher than an average show.

That year was considered the official beginning of "han liu." Since then, China has been inundated non-stop by popular dramas from South Korea.

The trend reached a crescendo in 2002. When CCTV aired shows like "Lady Mermaid" in the night-owl slot of 11 pm. They were consistently rewarded with ratings as high as 10 per cent. That year, a total of 67 South Korean television shows debuted on screens nationwide.

It was also during 2002 when "My Sassy Girl (Yeopgijeogin geunyeo)," a Korean film portraying a gorgeous but somewhat sadistic girl, stole the hearts of millions across China. The film reaped tens of millions of yuan at the box office. The feat was achieved despite bootleg DVD that had flooded the market.

In 2004, import of South Korean television drama series reached another apex with 104 shows, and 13 Korean films participated in the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Spill-over effect

Chinese audiences swooning over Korean pop culture has created an industry bigger than box office receipts and high television ratings.

It is said that, Bae Jong-joon, the bespectacled star of many popular South Korean movies and TV shows, helped an export boom in 2004 that experts pegged at US$2.3 billion.

Its pop culture has added an aura to anything Korean. This applies not only to cultural or lifestyle products such as books, recordings, food and clothes, but also to home electronics and high-tech.

The penchant of South Korean actresses and actors, too to have a facelift has had a palpable effect on the cosmetic surgery business in China. As people marvel at the "before" and "after" photos of Korean beauties, the stigma about surgically changing one's appearance is quickly dissipating.

Others have expressed that the "cultural mecca" of China's Y Generation is now Seoul. It has replaced Europe and the United States as a place of inspiration.

South Korea is currently China's fifth largest trading partner. In 2004, bilateral trade reached US$90 billion, from a mere US$5 billion 13 years earlier. It has an accumulative 32,275 investment projects in China, totaling US$25.9 billion while China's investment in South Korea is US$900 million with only 91 projects.