The popularity of Korean romance novels in contemporary China

A feminist interpretation

Bibliographic Data

ID10193154
AuthorsYi Yang (0000-0002-9729-8522, School of Humanities Shanghai Jiao Ton University Shanghai China), Yang Yi (0000-0002-4283-9328, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, corresponding author), Seokmin Yoon (College of Confucian Studies and Eastern Philosophy Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) Seoul South Korea)
Year2023
Volume56
Issue3-4
Pages689-703
Publication date2023-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Popular Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-3840 • E-ISSN: 1540-5931
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/jpcu.13267
OpenAlexW4388007598
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited16

This essay deals with Korean romance novels translated into Chinese, especially the works of Kim Ha‐in and Guiyeoni which forms a pattern of cross‐cultural communication from the marginal culture to the center. Most studies treat them as an aspect of fast‐food culture that undermines serious literature, with little attention to this literary and cultural phenomenon. Why are Korean romance novels so popular in contemporary China? There are some answers from different perspectives. However, it is obvious that Korean romance novels offered Chinese women the opportunity to reconceptualize gender. This article contributes to criticism on the interface between Korean romance novels and Chinese feminism and further unveils the relationship between Korean popular romance novels and new interpretations of femininity in contemporary China. The success of Korean romance novels benefits from the conscious choice of Chinese readers in the cross‐cultural context, influenced by changes in Chinese women's concept of gender. The response to the aesthetic needs and expectations of readers has prompted the appearance of inverted cultural export, wherein such novels influence other cultures, reflecting upon and even challenging the gender concepts of other countries, which manifests the symbiotic relationship between popular literature and feminism

Aesthetics · Art · China · Chinese culture · Context (archaeology · Criticism · Femininity · Feminism · Interpretation (philosophy · Literature · Phenomenon · Popular culture · Popularity · Romance · Sociology · Asian Culture and Media Studies · Gender Studies · History · Japanese History and Culture · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology

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