As it crept toward a staggering billion views on the internet, "Descendants of the Sun" made history this week when it was crowned the most-watched Korean drama of all time. It first aired simultaneously in February on both KBS TV and QIY, and has now broken the previous audience rating records, surpassing once the most popular romance “You Who Came from the Stars” which was released in early 2014.
The ascent of "hallyu", or the so called Korean Wave was hard to miss. I believe there lives a handsome, gentle, considerate and brave man named Song Joong-ki or Kim Soo Hyun in every girl’s mind. That’s why I felt so excited when I found out I could have the opportunity to join the Feeling Korea Program held by Chonbuk National University (CBNU), a real immersive experience of various types of Korean culture through Korean language classes, Korean cultural experience program, cultural exchange between university students and traditional Korean culture. Without hesitation, I sent in my application, and set off to South Korea on January 24th.
It seemed that our romantic journey turned out to be more than a drama. Upon our arrival at Incheon Airport, we were struck by the heaviest blizzard for over 2 decades in South Korea. After a three-hour flight and over a five-hour drive by CBNU shuttle bus, we finally reached our destination, exposed to the snowy wonderland and antique beauty of the school buildings in Jeonju. Tranquil as it were at midnight, the whole campus was like a sleeping beauty, waiting for her lover to awaken her by a kiss. Fell into a long deep sleep, we Oriental dragon decedents dreamed a sweet dream and could not wait to turn over a new chapter.
Panoramic view of snowy Jeonju seen from the window of the Cham-bit Residence Hall where we lived on campus
The Welcoming Ceremony and Orientation came first. It turned out to us that this winter program had a history of over a decade since it started in 2002. Over 200 students from both mainland China and Taiwan gathered at the hall, enjoying the powerful dancing performance and K-pop show brought by CBNU students. “No wonder there are so many fans crazy about Korean celebrities”, I thought to myself. Albeit casual, they were already as pretty, competitive and talented as those stars. Full of passion, we started our Korean language class taught by a charming Korean lady for the following days. She was so gentle, attentive and patient, for she always wore a sweet smile, even if we found it so hard to pronounce just one word. Before that, I had to admit, Japanese was the most difficult language I had ever learnt, but now, not any more.
The helpful and lovely CBNU volunteers showed up at the Welcoming Ceremony and Orientation
We also spent happy hours making bibimbap, the traditional Korean cuisine most famous in Chonju . Needless to say, the cooking process was really time-consuming, as we have to wash, slice, cut and cook every food material separately according to our Korean teacher. This is a symbol of concentration and unity, helping to preserve the nutrition of every natural food. Taekwondo Class was a real experience. As is known to all, taekwondo is the quintessence of Korean culture as martial arts is what we Chinese takes pride in. Their imposing manner, magnificent move and overwhelming power amazed us, and made me wonder: what if there was a fight between Chinese kungfu master and Korean taekwondo player? That must be a battlefield full of bloodshed and violence - no romance at all! After the action flick, we came to enjoy the literary film accompanied by traditional Korean music. Although I had no sense of rhythm, beating the Korean drum to the accompaniment of the gong played by the teacher was such a pleasure out of interest. Not to mention that we had tried on hanbok, the traditional Korean costume in the Hanok Village, a first-hand experience of what it feels like to be a local girl.
We made bibimbap, the traditional Korean cuisine that Chonju is most famous for
Our group photo with taekwondo master during the class
The most memorable part of the journey for me must be the field trip to Everland Amusement Park and transfer to Seoul, the political and economic centre of the country. Just like another Disneyland, Everland created a childhood-like dream for all men, women, kids and the elderly. But what made me most surprised was not how thriller the roller coaster was, how funny the animal looked, how fancy the merry-go-round was designed, but how clean the park was, how courteous the service staff acted and even how fragrant the dress room were. This feeling kept me lost in thought. During our visit to Seoul, just like all the other travelers, we went to the most representative historic site Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Seoul Tower, Hongdae University, Ewha Womans University, Namsan Hanok Village, and shopping streets like Myeong Dong, Dongdaemun and Sinchon. After these several days studying, living and travelling in South Korea, I felt like a learner starting her truth-seeking journey, and truly learn something back home in mind.
The first thing I found interesting is the retractable stainless steel chopsticks to be seen ubiquitously in the country. Since the meal costs were covered in the program, we could have three meals in the school canteen every day. The usage of a pair of thin and short chopsticks made of stainless steel really troubled me, because we always took it for granted to have a takeaway with a pair of disposable ones. Also, another problem we faced was the difficulty of finding a trashcan either on-campus or off-campus. Everyday we have to put the garbage in black plastic bag and throw it into the designated trashcan, yet it was not that easy to get a black plastic bag. We all know that waste sorting in Japan and South Korea is a must, but we never felt the difficulty of implementing it until we need to do it ourselves. Albeit hard, we tried our best to do so efficiently, and it led to a fruitful result. Sustainable development might sound too big and too hard, but if everyone joined in, hand in hand, we can still contribute a lot to a better life.
handmade fan decorated with dried flowers made by me during the craft lesson
As a foodie, the second thing I want to mention is definitely about Korean food. Of course, as China boasts an extensive history and splendid culinary culture, Korean food cannot compete in terms of flavor and styles of the dishes. But that is exactly the point. It occurred to me that every Korean restaurant served just one or two specialties, like fried chicken, with beer restaurants famous for barbecue buffet, ginseng chicken soup and cheese ribs, respectively. You might easily get bored with all the chicken and beer, yet you cannot have barbecue at the same time. But these restaurants are famous for the chicken and concentrated all its resources on making them. So here is the question, why don’t they do both at the same time? It reminds me of a recent buzzword "spirit of the craftsman" introduced by Premier Li Keqiang during his government work report during the fourth session of the 12th National People's Congress. Craftsman used to be an indispensible profession in our daily lives, whose spirit of dedication to continuous improvement and innovation will always be the call of the times. If we can devote ourselves to just one area, keep advancement and innovation and finally become the expert in that field, it is a real success in itself. We have already seen hit TV drama like “Nirvana in Fire”, “Legend of Concubine Zhen Huan” around the world and other popular Chinese TV program with high audience ratings globally. The promotion of so called cultural soft power only takes time and effort.
I tried on hanbok, the traditional Korean costume in the Hanok Village, a first-hand experience of what it feels like to be a local girl
I returned to China on February 6th, the eve of Chinese lunar New Year. It was still midnight, yet thinking about a reunion with my family and friends made me as excited as I was when I left, and I was eager to share with everyone my Korean diary after the journey: My true story of a real romantic, diligent and united land beyond “Korean drama”.
(Edited by Mark & Sijia Hu)
