移动技术成为韩流的推手

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.

　　2月14日，伴随着现场动感的音乐和富有节奏性的鼓点，韩国人气天团EXO登上了湖南卫视的舞台，加入到于当晚举办的元宵喜乐会的强大阵容中去。热情的粉丝们挤满了演播厅，使劲挥着手里五颜六色的荧光棒，争相朝自己所崇拜的组合成员展示忠实的喜爱之情。

　　而就在同一天，千里之外的上海浦东国际机场迎来了另一位韩国客人：前不久热播韩剧《继承者们》中的主演——“万人迷”李敏镐。一部分以年轻女性为主的影迷，甚至不惜买下3800元一张的门票，只为在那短短半小时的简短发布会上看他一眼。

　　“我完全被他那修长的身材、轮廓分明的腹肌还有完美的脸庞吸引了!”上海小学教师李敏(音)说。她飞快地向人群那边冲去，急着看她最最亲爱的“欧巴”——韩语里女性对年长男性的尊称。

　　其实，手机移动网络的普及应用可以说是在助推着“韩流”——也就是韩国文化潮流涌入他国的现象——的发生。现在，演唱会、娱乐节目都可以直接在手机上看，这对热衷于谈论最喜爱的明星们的一举一动的铁杆粉丝们来说，的确方便了不少。

　　这部热播韩剧叫做《来自星星的你》，而当中女主角的一句“初雪时，怎么能没有炸鸡和啤酒”已迅速成为了狂热的剧迷们津津乐道的台词。

　　时下，在有“韩国街”之称的上海虹泉路边，韩式烧烤店和柠檬汁铺已经成了急于尝试正宗韩式美食的中国女人们的新宠。

　　“那天下午下着大雨，我下了班之后到这里排了三个小时的队，就为买块炸鸡。我和一些朋友每个月都会去几次。”张玉婷(音)说。她是个超级韩迷，每年都会专程几次去到韩国看演唱会。

　　据韩式餐厅古宝屋的店长金基灿(Kim Gi-chan)说，这些大批大批前来排队点餐的客人最常点的菜有两种，一种是韩式辣泡菜，一种是那种有豆腐、蛤喇和鸡蛋在内的韩式大酱汤。

　　“我以前一般10点半闭店，但从一月份以来，我每天都是凌晨3点以后才能忙完。炸鸡是每桌必点之餐。”

　　曾到首尔参加过三项交换项目的北京外国语大学学生周舟发现，韩国当地的风味小吃与在北京看到的“惊人地相似”，说道：“显然，韩国的节目也让街边小吃、辣味炖汤等等越来越火了，而这两样其实都是适应韩国人饮食习惯的、对他们来说必不可少的食物。”

　　上海一名经验丰富的演唱会承办人戴云杰(音)认为，这可以真切地反映出东西文化的交流与融合。

　　戴云杰说：“虽然这些韩国表演者统一一致的舞步和手势都颇有亚洲气息，但是他们所用的音乐都是融合了西方元素的，比如像是嘻哈还有饶舌。”

　　互动通数字广告平台(hdtMEDIA)总裁邓广梼(Michael Tang)认为，侵入式的广告和手机移动网络普及的趋势是促进韩流现象迅速发展壮大的部分原因。

　　邓广梼说：“任何人去韩国旅行，当他们看到了最新的产品或者是刚刚买下什么好东西时，他们都忍不住马上在微博或是微信上‘分享’，这样一来，肯定会比以前传播得快得多了。”

　　而位于上海的一家韩国公司的高级经理Eric Moon则认为，受韩国文化影响的人数不断扩大可能源于韩国日渐成熟的商业运营模式，甚至会为了迎合中国观众的口味而专门定制一些节目。

　　Moon说：“我们也看到中国本土的一些娱乐节目在吸收更多的国际元素，稳定地发展壮大。或许到最后，现在的潮流甚至就被完全颠覆，韩国人反而开始狂热地喜爱中国的产品。”

　　不过，也有一些人对韩流现象表达了不满。

　　30岁的戴启明(音)是上海的一名公务员，他说：“我陪妻子去吃过韩式炸鸡，可我真的一点儿也不喜欢，还不如肯德基呢。”

　　他认为，韩剧受欢迎，只是因为剧中不切实际的人物设定满足了女人的幻想而已。

　　他还说，在某种程度上，韩流现象令人忧虑，因为在它的影响之下，年轻的一代可能会将中华文化忘在脑后。