Font size: 
The Hallyu fans were on fire with youth and energy. Among those performing Sunday was the popular boy band FT Island, whose members are all 16-18 years old. Their lively songs and dynamic performance on guitars and drums drew an emotional response from their teenaged fans; emotions they must usually suppress in Asian culture, with its emphasis on "proper" behavior. The girl group Seeya also took a turn onstage, role models for a new generation of liberated Asian women.
Among those modeling the latest creations of local designers was Jeoung Joon Ho, star of popular Korean movies "Anarchists," "Last Witness," "A Perfect Match" and "Marrying the Mafia." Famous pop singers Andy, Brian and Sung Si-kyung also delighted fans with their performances.
Hallyu, or Korean Wave, is the term used to describe the upsurge of modern Korean culture that has burst upon the scene both domestically and abroad. It represents movies, songs, dance and novels, as well as fashion. In motion since the late 1990s, the Korean Wave has still not abated. In fact, interest in traditional Korean culture, food and language has spread throughout Asia on the tide of the pop culture boom.
It is not strange that the Hallyu phenomena are so welcome in Asia. First of all, they reinforce a sense of unique Asian identity, especially among young people who find it hard to relate to blond-haired blue-eyed stars from the West. They see themselves reflected in the faces of the stars on stage and screen.
They also see their own lives, loves, friendships and family relationships played out in TV dramas and in the movies. Korean programs capture audiences' hearts because they reflect the real world, not some distant imaginary dreamland. TV dramas with names like "First Kiss," "Sorrow," and "Digital Single" portray real-life situations -- of course played by very good-looking and talented actors and actresses. Korean shows are much cleaner than their Western counterparts, with a minimum of sex and profanity, which makes them more acceptable to Asian viewers.
Chinese audiences have found the Korean programs especially appealing. The emphasis on family in films like "The Perfect Couple" and "Wedding" strike a deep chord. There are also many cultural elements -- attitudes, habits and practices -- that strike a familiar note among Asian audiences.
To Chinese viewers, these works are appealing because they integrate tradition and modernity. Many people are perplexed by modern culture and the loss of traditional values. Seeing the two combined in the fresh new media of the Korean Wave is both refreshing and stimulating.
The Hallyu artists continue to expand their creations in a diversifying world, combining the cultures of East and West, producing new waves of songs, dance, dramas, music and fashion, and ensuring that the Korean Wave will keep on rocking.
--
(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a PhD candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. He is currently a research fellow at the School of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, under a grant by the Korea Foundation. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
