koreandramas1.jpg

You'd think that with more pressing matters like the pollution levels in China, officials will be discussing on ways to curb it, but instead, one of the hottest topic of discussion was why South Korean soap opera is better than theirs.

The Washington Post provides a synopsis of the show:
The show's name translated in English is "My Love from the Star." It has garnered more than 2.5 billion views online and has shot up to the top of the country's viewership...

... It's about an alien who accidentally arrives on Earth 400 years ago, meets an arrogant female pop star and falls in love.
South Korean dramas have been a hit for the country, becoming one of their biggest exports, and it is helping to spread K-pop culture around Asian countries. In recent years, other dramas from Hong Kong and Taiwan have seemed stale compared to them.

The show definitely has something that keeps viewers glued to their screens.
After the show's female lead mentioned "beer and fried chicken" in one episode, it became one of the most invoked phrases online. Restaurants cashed in and started selling beer-and-fried-chicken meals.
So the government is thinking, why can't China make its own soap operas just as popular. It is an interesting angle, because if your shows are good, then it is easier to establish some what of a pop culture with the country, just as Japan and South Korea have.

One of the suggested reasons why Chinese soap operas still don't have an edge over them is because of China's strict censorship guidelines, though no one has yet to come up with a better idea for a plot to make it as famous as South Korean dramas.

"My Love from the Star" is really only just one of the many uber popular dramas from South Korea. Will China be able to produce something even better?