Flanked by a DJ and a drummer, South Korean pop group Exo sauntered onto the stage at the Hunan Satellite TV station on Friday, joining the line-up for the Lantern Festival Show. The studio was flooded with fans holding light sticks in various colors, signifying allegiance to one or other group member. On the same day, thousands of kilometers away at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, the arrival of heartthrob Lee Min-ho, who starred in the TV series The Heirs, attracted a hardcore of young women willing to pay 3,800 yuan ($626) to access his half-hour media briefing. "I'm totally attracted by his slim figure, chiseled abs and perfect complexion," said Li Min, a primary school teacher in Shanghai, who rushed to the scene for her dearest "oppa", a respectful Korean term used by women to refer to older males. The popularity of the mobile Internet has helped to promote the phenomenon of Hallyu - or the wave of South Korean culture flooding other countries. Live concerts and entertainment shows become immediately available to thousands of die-hard fans who discuss endlessly the whereabouts of their favorite celebrities. Avid viewers of the South Korean drama My Love from the Star took note when the female protagonist said she adored "beer and fried chicken" as her favorite food when the first winter snow began to fall. Barbecue houses and lemonade booths along Hongquan Road in Shanghai's Korean area have become new favorites for Chinese women hungry for a genuine taste of Korea. "I lined up for three hours simply to get a piece of fried chicken. It was on a work-day afternoon and raining heavily. Like-minded friends often go there every month," said Zhang Yuting, a big fan of Korean culture, who takes trips to South Korea to watch concerts every year. The droves of people and the long lines are often seeking the spicy side dish kimchi or a spicy broth containing soft tofu, clams and an egg, said Kim Gi-chan, owner of Korean restaurant Gubaowu. "My store usually closes at 10:30 pm. But I haven't finished work before 3 am every day since January. Fried chicken is the must-order dish for each table," he said. Zhou Zhou, a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, who took three exchange programs in Seoul and found popular items there and in Beijing were "strikingly similar", said, "Clearly the shows help popularize street food and spicy stews that are essential to the Korean heart and digestive tract." The real draw is the crossover between Eastern and Western cultures, said Dai Yunjie, a seasoned concert promoter in Shanghai. "The performers' synchronized dance moves and hand gestures do have an Asian flavor, but their music is really blended with Western elements, like hip-hop and rapping," said Dai. Intrusive ads and a "going-mobile" trend have in part helped the Hallyu phenomenon to proliferate, said Michael Tang, president of hdtMEDIA, a digital advertising company. "As people make trips to South Korea and see the latest line-ups or make big purchases, they are eager to 'share' instantly via Weibo or WeChat. It helps things to go viral much quicker than before," he said. The growing popularity of Korean culture may also derive from a maturing business model, by which shows are tailored to the tastes of Chinese viewers, said Eric Moon, a senior manager at a South Korean firm in Shanghai. "We are seeing a steady growth of Chinese indigenous entertainment shows in which more international elements are included. At the end of the day, the trend may even be reversed, with Koreans embracing a similar craving for Chinese products," Moon said. But some people disagreed with the Hallyu phenomena. "I accompanied my wife to eat Korean-style fried chicken, and I really don't like it. It's not even as good as KFC," said Dai Qiming, 30, a civil servant in Shanghai. South Korean TV drama is popular only because it creates unreal characters that satisfy women's imaginations, he said. He said the Hallyu phenomenon is also worrying to some extent, as under its influence the younger generation may abandon Chinese culture. By He Wei in Shanghai ( China Daily ) |
2月14日,伴隨著現(xiàn)場動感的音樂和富有節(jié)奏性的鼓點,韓國人氣天團EXO登上了湖南衛(wèi)視的舞臺,加入到于當晚舉辦的元宵喜樂會的強大陣容中去。熱情的粉絲們擠滿了演播廳,使勁揮著手里五顏六色的熒光棒,爭相朝自己所崇拜的組合成員展示忠實的喜愛之情。 而就在同一天,千里之外的上海浦東國際機場迎來了另一位韓國客人:前不久熱播韓劇《繼承者們》中的主演——“萬人迷”李敏鎬。一部分以年輕女性為主的影迷,甚至不惜買下3800元一張的門票,只為在那短短半小時的簡短發(fā)布會上看他一眼。 “我完全被他那修長的身材、輪廓分明的腹肌還有完美的臉龐吸引了!”上海小學教師李敏(音)說。她飛快地向人群那邊沖去,急著看她最最親愛的“歐巴”——韓語里女性對年長男性的尊稱。 其實,手機移動網(wǎng)絡的普及應用可以說是在助推著“韓流”——也就是韓國文化潮流涌入他國的現(xiàn)象——的發(fā)生?,F(xiàn)在,演唱會、娛樂節(jié)目都可以直接在手機上看,這對熱衷于談論最喜愛的明星們的一舉一動的鐵桿粉絲們來說,的確方便了不少。 這部熱播韓劇叫做《來自星星的你》,而當中女主角的一句“初雪時,怎么能沒有炸雞和啤酒”已迅速成為了狂熱的劇迷們津津樂道的臺詞。 時下,在有“韓國街”之稱的上海虹泉路邊,韓式燒烤店和檸檬汁鋪已經(jīng)成了急于嘗試正宗韓式美食的中國女人們的新寵。 “那天下午下著大雨,我下了班之后到這里排了三個小時的隊,就為買塊炸雞。我和一些朋友每個月都會去幾次?!睆堄矜茫ㄒ簦┱f。她是個超級韓迷,每年都會專程幾次去到韓國看演唱會。 據(jù)韓式餐廳古寶屋的店長金基燦(Kim Gi-chan)說,這些大批大批前來排隊點餐的客人最常點的菜有兩種,一種是韓式辣泡菜,一種是那種有豆腐、蛤喇和雞蛋在內的韓式大醬湯。 “我以前一般10點半閉店,但從一月份以來,我每天都是凌晨3點以后才能忙完。炸雞是每桌必點之餐?!?/p> 曾到首爾參加過三項交換項目的北京外國語大學學生周舟發(fā)現(xiàn),韓國當?shù)氐娘L味小吃與在北京看到的“驚人地相似”,說道:“顯然,韓國的節(jié)目也讓街邊小吃、辣味燉湯等等越來越火了,而這兩樣其實都是適應韓國人飲食習慣的、對他們來說必不可少的食物?!?/p> 上海一名經(jīng)驗豐富的演唱會承辦人戴云杰(音)認為,這可以真切地反映出東西文化的交流與融合。 戴云杰說:“雖然這些韓國表演者統(tǒng)一一致的舞步和手勢都頗有亞洲氣息,但是他們所用的音樂都是融合了西方元素的,比如像是嘻哈還有饒舌。” 互動通數(shù)字廣告平臺(hdtMEDIA)總裁鄧廣梼(Michael Tang)認為,侵入式的廣告和手機移動網(wǎng)絡普及的趨勢是促進韓流現(xiàn)象迅速發(fā)展壯大的部分原因。 鄧廣梼說:“任何人去韓國旅行,當他們看到了最新的產(chǎn)品或者是剛剛買下什么好東西時,他們都忍不住馬上在微博或是微信上‘分享’,這樣一來,肯定會比以前傳播得快得多了?!?/p> 而位于上海的一家韓國公司的高級經(jīng)理Eric Moon則認為,受韓國文化影響的人數(shù)不斷擴大可能源于韓國日漸成熟的商業(yè)運營模式,甚至會為了迎合中國觀眾的口味而專門定制一些節(jié)目。 Moon說:“我們也看到中國本土的一些娛樂節(jié)目在吸收更多的國際元素,穩(wěn)定地發(fā)展壯大。或許到最后,現(xiàn)在的潮流甚至就被完全顛覆,韓國人反而開始狂熱地喜愛中國的產(chǎn)品?!?/p> 不過,也有一些人對韓流現(xiàn)象表達了不滿。 30歲的戴啟明(音)是上海的一名公務員,他說:“我陪妻子去吃過韓式炸雞,可我真的一點兒也不喜歡,還不如肯德基呢?!?/p> 他認為,韓劇受歡迎,只是因為劇中不切實際的人物設定滿足了女人的幻想而已。 他還說,在某種程度上,韓流現(xiàn)象令人憂慮,因為在它的影響之下,年輕的一代可能會將中華文化忘在腦后。 (中國日報記者賀煒上海報道) |