Essay Contest Result
Misunderstandings about Korean Traditional Culture
on the Chinese Internet and Their Solutions:
Based on K-Pop and K-Drama
This report introduces some prejudices against Korean culture on the Chinese Internet to solve such problems with an academic approach, instead of pointing out the nationalistic sentiment of Chinese people or finding out the source of misunderstandings and judging if they are right or wrong. It ultimately aims at resolving the misunderstandings of Chinese people, especially young Chinese people, regarding Korean traditional culture and to establish future friendly exchanges and relationship between Korea and China.
In addition, the popularity of Korean dramas is beyond doubt although the Chinese TV network has hardly broadcast them in recent years compared to 2003 to 2013 (i.e., from the Korean TV series Jewel in the Palace to My Love from the Star). Still, Chinese audiences' affection for and high praise of Korean dramas are rather increasing. In particular, the Korean TV series Reply 1988 was given high scores by about 1 million people on "Douban," the most widely used film and drama rating website in China, and is still the highest rated Korean drama there. Therefore, although there are still many barriers to the promotion of Korean culture in China, it is necessary to spread Korean culture properly and efficiently while respecting Chinese people's perception and opinion on Korean culture.
K-pop and dramas are very popular in China; when they feature elements of traditional Korean culture, however, there are cases wherein Chinese audiences strongly resist them and sometimes criticize Korea and Korean people. For example, the Korean beauty brand "Romand" was one of the most famous Korean cosmetic brands among Chinese consumers; after the brand launched its products with traditional designs of hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) and hanok (traditional Korean house) in 2021, however, Chinese consumers strongly opposed them because they believed that Romand has blurred the boundary between Korean and Chinese traditional cultures and has stolen Chinese culture. Since then, all beauty bloggers in China have stopped producing cosmetic videos related to Romand, and any information recommending Romand cannot be found on the Chinese Internet. Even if Romand explained that the company was inspired by pure Korean traditional culture to make its products, its image and popularity in the Chinese market were beyond recovery.
Chinese misunderstandings about Korean culture due to nationalism are very common in the case of Korean dramas. Chinese audiences used to love Korean historical dramas or fictional historical series such as Jewel in the Palace, Ladies of the Palace, and Iljimae, but such dramas are recently getting cold reception and criticism in China. For instance, River Where the Moon Rises and Lovers of the Red Sky aired in 2021 and Alchemy of Souls aired in 2022 received mostly negative reviews on the Chinese Internet. These reviews have consistently led to criticism of traditional Korean elements. Chinese netizens recognize only the costumes featured in Jewel in the Palace as traditional Korean clothes but claim that the immortal heavenly creatures in Alchemy of Souls come entirely from China's Taoism and that the history of Goguryeo introduced in River Where the Moon Rises is not Korean history but Chinese. Although some Chinese netizens posted a rebuttal to such claims based on thorough historical study, this rebuttal sparked further debate on the right of cultural and historical belonging and led to even more insulting comments.
Chinese people's misunderstanding of Korean traditional culture is most serious nowadays in Korean pop music. K-pop is a favorite of young Chinese people among Korean contents, but they seem hostile to Korean music works associated with traditional Korean culture or various symbols of traditional cultures of East Asia, sometimes boycotting the relevant idol group's concert. The music video "Hwaa" released by Korean girl group "(G)I-dle" in 2021 contains various traditional elements of East Asia including China, Japan, and Korea such as hime cut (Japanese hairstyle), and hanok. Although the production company explained that the music video was made in an "oriental style," Chinese netizens of "Weibo" and "Bilibili" (video sharing website similar to YouTube) criticize that the "Hwaa" music video is made up of traditional Chinese cultural elements. Even global group "Blackpink" has been embroiled in a similar controversy. On March 22, 2023, the group's management agency released video footage of Blackpink's member Jisoo wearing binyeo (traditional Korean hairpin), showing nail art with the design of a bamboo ink painting, and standing in front of an engraving. Weibo netizens posted more than 2,500 comments about it, saying that Jisoo also "stole" Chinese culture. There is also a strong voice about changing the name K-pop to A (Asian)-pop.
As the influence of K-culture increases, such misunderstandings continue to worsen. Even the old issue related to the comparison between Korea's Gangneung Danoje (Dano Festival of Gangneung) and China's Dragon Boat Festival is being discussed again. This suggests that previous efforts to explain the issue appear to have been ineffective, Chinese people's impression on Korea continues to deteriorate as a result, and misunderstandings between the two countries' peoples caused by traditional cultures are getting worse. Under such circumstances, it will be difficult for Chinese people to understand traditional Korean culture properly and rationally. This will inevitably contribute to destroying the emotional relationship between the peoples of the two countries and will also have a serious negative impact on K-culture. The fact that Korea and China, located in East Asia, have such misunderstandings is not favorable to the overall modern development of Asian traditional culture. Therefore, this problem must be resolved urgently.
First, a video can be made to distinguish accurately the similar traditional cultures of Korea and China and upload it to the Bilibili website, which is mostly used by young Chinese people. For example, the cultural content familiar to young people can serve as a starting point to distinguish the two nation's similar traditional cultures such as Korea's Bukcheong Saja Noreum (Lion Mask Dance of Bukcheong) and Wushi (Lion Dance in Guangdong Province, China). In order to allow netizens to compare the similar cultures directly, first, a video of BTS's performance at the 2018 MMA Awards—which has been receiving positive reviews from around the world for its harmony of various traditional Korean cultures such as Lion Mask Dance, Three Drum Dance, and Fan Dance—can be presented; next, the Chinese animated film I Am What I Am can be introduced. Then, based on these images, the culture experts of the two countries can introduce and explain more about their respective countries' Lion Dance performance. This method requires low investment costs but has a clear target audience as it uses popular culture as a starting point and facilitates resolving misunderstandings directly and promoting the traditional culture of Korea correctly.
The following are elements of Korean and Chinese traditional culture that have recently created controversy on the Chinese Internet, and they include popular cultural materials of the two countries that can help one to distinguish them:
More to the point, we need to promote actively Korea's unique discourses such as "han" (resentment, sorrow, regret), "heung" (fun, excitement, joy), and "sinmyeong" (exhilarating, exciting), which are solid evidences of being the traditional spirit or sentiment of the Korean people. Such concepts of spirit and sentiment are shared by all mankind, just like Japanese "Iki" (粹, essence, pure, refined) and Chinese "Wenliang" (溫良, gentle and kindhearted), but each concept has its own cultural characteristics. In fact, such words are difficult to translate accurately into other languages. Based on Korea's unique discourse, cultural and art works should be produced. Such discourses can rather highlight the characteristics of truly Korean culture, which might be vague and ambiguous and which may cause controversy over cultural appropriation; furthermore, they help other nations gain a deeper understanding of Korea's traditional culture and recognize the unique spiritual characteristics of the Korean people. This is not just a superficial approach but plays a role in conveying the essence of Korean culture without being tied to certain cultural symbols or aspects.
For example, we can emphasize and explain that the formulaic music and neat, organized dance movement in K-pop originate from the Korean sentiment "heung" (fun, excitement), that the idol training system is an extension of the traditional gwangdae (entertainer, performer) group's operation pattern, and that the perfect group dance is a way of releasing powerful, positive energy based on Koreans' "heung," i.e., exhilarating spirit, without being limited to the rigid performance rule. Such concepts and discourses can prove that the term "K" is not due to cultural misappropriation but means the culture of "Korea" that appreciates taste, inspiration, and harmony. Korean dramas could focus more on Koreans' spirit "Jeong" (affection, attachment), and short videos (YouTube shorts, or challenge videos) can be made and presented so that Chinese netizens can understand the concept "Jeong" on the Chinese Internet, and/or invite Chinese netizens to see the video while they express their reactions and opinions.
(1) Misunderstandings and prejudices against Korean culture on the Chinese Internet
China is a major consumer of Korean culture and contents; in particular, it is the largest consumer of K-pop albums that have been greatly loved by global fans. For example, Korean idol group SEVENTEEN's 4th Mini Album, which was released in April 2023, sold more than 4.8 million copies, more than 2 million copies of which were purchased by Chinese fans. This sufficiently proves the influence of K-pop in China.In addition, the popularity of Korean dramas is beyond doubt although the Chinese TV network has hardly broadcast them in recent years compared to 2003 to 2013 (i.e., from the Korean TV series Jewel in the Palace to My Love from the Star). Still, Chinese audiences' affection for and high praise of Korean dramas are rather increasing. In particular, the Korean TV series Reply 1988 was given high scores by about 1 million people on "Douban," the most widely used film and drama rating website in China, and is still the highest rated Korean drama there. Therefore, although there are still many barriers to the promotion of Korean culture in China, it is necessary to spread Korean culture properly and efficiently while respecting Chinese people's perception and opinion on Korean culture.
K-pop and dramas are very popular in China; when they feature elements of traditional Korean culture, however, there are cases wherein Chinese audiences strongly resist them and sometimes criticize Korea and Korean people. For example, the Korean beauty brand "Romand" was one of the most famous Korean cosmetic brands among Chinese consumers; after the brand launched its products with traditional designs of hanbok (traditional Korean clothes) and hanok (traditional Korean house) in 2021, however, Chinese consumers strongly opposed them because they believed that Romand has blurred the boundary between Korean and Chinese traditional cultures and has stolen Chinese culture. Since then, all beauty bloggers in China have stopped producing cosmetic videos related to Romand, and any information recommending Romand cannot be found on the Chinese Internet. Even if Romand explained that the company was inspired by pure Korean traditional culture to make its products, its image and popularity in the Chinese market were beyond recovery.
Chinese misunderstandings about Korean culture due to nationalism are very common in the case of Korean dramas. Chinese audiences used to love Korean historical dramas or fictional historical series such as Jewel in the Palace, Ladies of the Palace, and Iljimae, but such dramas are recently getting cold reception and criticism in China. For instance, River Where the Moon Rises and Lovers of the Red Sky aired in 2021 and Alchemy of Souls aired in 2022 received mostly negative reviews on the Chinese Internet. These reviews have consistently led to criticism of traditional Korean elements. Chinese netizens recognize only the costumes featured in Jewel in the Palace as traditional Korean clothes but claim that the immortal heavenly creatures in Alchemy of Souls come entirely from China's Taoism and that the history of Goguryeo introduced in River Where the Moon Rises is not Korean history but Chinese. Although some Chinese netizens posted a rebuttal to such claims based on thorough historical study, this rebuttal sparked further debate on the right of cultural and historical belonging and led to even more insulting comments.
Chinese people's misunderstanding of Korean traditional culture is most serious nowadays in Korean pop music. K-pop is a favorite of young Chinese people among Korean contents, but they seem hostile to Korean music works associated with traditional Korean culture or various symbols of traditional cultures of East Asia, sometimes boycotting the relevant idol group's concert. The music video "Hwaa" released by Korean girl group "(G)I-dle" in 2021 contains various traditional elements of East Asia including China, Japan, and Korea such as hime cut (Japanese hairstyle), and hanok. Although the production company explained that the music video was made in an "oriental style," Chinese netizens of "Weibo" and "Bilibili" (video sharing website similar to YouTube) criticize that the "Hwaa" music video is made up of traditional Chinese cultural elements. Even global group "Blackpink" has been embroiled in a similar controversy. On March 22, 2023, the group's management agency released video footage of Blackpink's member Jisoo wearing binyeo (traditional Korean hairpin), showing nail art with the design of a bamboo ink painting, and standing in front of an engraving. Weibo netizens posted more than 2,500 comments about it, saying that Jisoo also "stole" Chinese culture. There is also a strong voice about changing the name K-pop to A (Asian)-pop.
As the influence of K-culture increases, such misunderstandings continue to worsen. Even the old issue related to the comparison between Korea's Gangneung Danoje (Dano Festival of Gangneung) and China's Dragon Boat Festival is being discussed again. This suggests that previous efforts to explain the issue appear to have been ineffective, Chinese people's impression on Korea continues to deteriorate as a result, and misunderstandings between the two countries' peoples caused by traditional cultures are getting worse. Under such circumstances, it will be difficult for Chinese people to understand traditional Korean culture properly and rationally. This will inevitably contribute to destroying the emotional relationship between the peoples of the two countries and will also have a serious negative impact on K-culture. The fact that Korea and China, located in East Asia, have such misunderstandings is not favorable to the overall modern development of Asian traditional culture. Therefore, this problem must be resolved urgently.
(2) Solutions
Although it is difficult to expect all Chinese netizens to perceive Korean culture accurately and rationally, the active effort to resolve the misunderstanding between the two nations on traditional cultures will lead to dealing with the cultural hegemony of the West by discovering commonalities in East Asian culture. In addition, awareness of commonality will enable identifying the differences, and the two countries could preserve and develop their traditional culture well through "harmony in diversity" (和而不同).First, a video can be made to distinguish accurately the similar traditional cultures of Korea and China and upload it to the Bilibili website, which is mostly used by young Chinese people. For example, the cultural content familiar to young people can serve as a starting point to distinguish the two nation's similar traditional cultures such as Korea's Bukcheong Saja Noreum (Lion Mask Dance of Bukcheong) and Wushi (Lion Dance in Guangdong Province, China). In order to allow netizens to compare the similar cultures directly, first, a video of BTS's performance at the 2018 MMA Awards—which has been receiving positive reviews from around the world for its harmony of various traditional Korean cultures such as Lion Mask Dance, Three Drum Dance, and Fan Dance—can be presented; next, the Chinese animated film I Am What I Am can be introduced. Then, based on these images, the culture experts of the two countries can introduce and explain more about their respective countries' Lion Dance performance. This method requires low investment costs but has a clear target audience as it uses popular culture as a starting point and facilitates resolving misunderstandings directly and promoting the traditional culture of Korea correctly.
The following are elements of Korean and Chinese traditional culture that have recently created controversy on the Chinese Internet, and they include popular cultural materials of the two countries that can help one to distinguish them:
| Korean tradition | Chinese tradition | Korean popular culture materials | Chinese popular culture materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geomungo (Korean musical instrument with six strings) | Zheng (箏, Chinese plucked zither) | Image of Korean classical musician Park Da-wool who appeared in the Korean TV talent show Superband. | OST "Cang Hai Yi Sheng Xiao" (滄海一聲笑) of the Chinese film The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. |
| Kimchi | Pao cai (pickled vegetable) | Image of Kimchi soaking in water featured in the Korean reality cooking show Three Meals a Day. | Image of China's most famous blogger Li Jiaqi making Sichuanese pao cai. |
| Samguk yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) | Sanguozhi (Records of the Three Kingdoms) | Korean TV series Ballad of Seodong. | Chinese TV drama Romance of the Three Kingdoms. |
| Korean tradition architecture | Chinese tradition architecture | Images of filming Korean boy band Stray Kids' music video "Thunderous" and BTS member Suga's music video "Daechwita." | Music video "Lit" of Lay, member of the Korean-Chinese boy band "Exo." |
| Hanbok except Jeogori (basic upper garment of the hanbok) | Hanfu (汉服, traditional clothing worn by the Han Chinese) | Korean TV series Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo featuring the clothing of the period of King Taejo of Goryeo (r. 918-943). (It requires more promotions and introductions about traditional Korean culture before the Joseon Dynasty.) | Korean TV series Empress Ki showing the costumes of the Yuan dynasty of China. |
More to the point, we need to promote actively Korea's unique discourses such as "han" (resentment, sorrow, regret), "heung" (fun, excitement, joy), and "sinmyeong" (exhilarating, exciting), which are solid evidences of being the traditional spirit or sentiment of the Korean people. Such concepts of spirit and sentiment are shared by all mankind, just like Japanese "Iki" (粹, essence, pure, refined) and Chinese "Wenliang" (溫良, gentle and kindhearted), but each concept has its own cultural characteristics. In fact, such words are difficult to translate accurately into other languages. Based on Korea's unique discourse, cultural and art works should be produced. Such discourses can rather highlight the characteristics of truly Korean culture, which might be vague and ambiguous and which may cause controversy over cultural appropriation; furthermore, they help other nations gain a deeper understanding of Korea's traditional culture and recognize the unique spiritual characteristics of the Korean people. This is not just a superficial approach but plays a role in conveying the essence of Korean culture without being tied to certain cultural symbols or aspects.
For example, we can emphasize and explain that the formulaic music and neat, organized dance movement in K-pop originate from the Korean sentiment "heung" (fun, excitement), that the idol training system is an extension of the traditional gwangdae (entertainer, performer) group's operation pattern, and that the perfect group dance is a way of releasing powerful, positive energy based on Koreans' "heung," i.e., exhilarating spirit, without being limited to the rigid performance rule. Such concepts and discourses can prove that the term "K" is not due to cultural misappropriation but means the culture of "Korea" that appreciates taste, inspiration, and harmony. Korean dramas could focus more on Koreans' spirit "Jeong" (affection, attachment), and short videos (YouTube shorts, or challenge videos) can be made and presented so that Chinese netizens can understand the concept "Jeong" on the Chinese Internet, and/or invite Chinese netizens to see the video while they express their reactions and opinions.
[Grand Prize]
Zhou Yuxin
(Country of Activity : China)
Zhou Yuxin
(Country of Activity : China)
