Chinese people have voiced their concerns with the growing presence of TV dramas and films from South Korea, which they feel could harm the “dignity of Chinese culture.”

Such opinions come at a time when the latest series You Come from the Stars is now a huge hit in China, especially among younger audiences, as it has gained great attention appearing in newspapers and heavy Internet buzz.

Fans of the male lead actor Kim Soo Hyun when so far as to take out a full-page ad in a Beijing newspaper to celebrate his birthday, and even the country’s largest media outlet China Central Television Station (CCTV) have begun to elaborate on the factors behind the show’s popularity.

The growing popularity of these dramas, said Xu Qinsong, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, staged on March 3, was not just about the quality of the dramas, but the harm they could cause to “the dignity of Chinese culture.”

South Korean cultural exports, including popular music, films, dramas, language and cuisine, have become successful since their entry into the Chinese market in the late 1990’s. Thus the neologism Hallyu, commonly known as The Korean Wave, was created to refer to the increase in popularity of its culture throughout the world.

A study by the Korea Foundation for International Culture Exchange (KOFICE) found in 2010 that Hallyu triggered KRW 4.9824 trillion worth of productions and generated 15,888 more job opportunities and led to the employment of 51,545 people.

Also, the South Korean government offers loans and favorable policies to its creative economy as part of efforts to boost Hallyu and more significantly, to increase its soft power in an accessible manner.

Will the same thing unfold in China? The answer remains unclear, some audiences argue, pointing to the disappointing shortage of creativity and the still widespread knockoffs of local cultural productions. Just as Xu said, society pays little or no respect to originality, and thus originality is much undervalued, despite the infusion of cash and knowledge by the government to otherwise desperate businesses.

His criticism has prompted the public to reflect on the growth of Chinese cultural products. The China Youth Newspaper said on its website that the decrees from the authorities have hampered the unleashing of social innovation in recent years, and content bans, one after another, were imposed on TV dramas. On the other hand, it said that South Korean cultural productions are acclaimed for their accurate market research and a full-blown industrial chain has been created through decades of practice.

But dissenting voices can also be heard.

Changshai Evening Newspaper said on March 3 that it is neither logical nor sensible to blame Hallyu on the so-called “erosion of the dignity of Chinese culture.” The real culprit, the paper said, “Is nobody but ourselves, because we don’t show enough respect for our cultural creation.”

Mo Yan, a Chinese novelist and the 2012 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, said in an interview with People’s Daily that it was normal to watch South Korean TV dramas and that there was nothing to worry about.

“We like to watch foreign films and TV dramas partly because they are well written. But many people also like to watch our own productions,” he said, “We can compare them after watching to improve our tastes.”