The drama "You Who Came From The Stars" made a big impression on Chinese fans. Not only did the drama sell for $35,000 per episode in China but it also sparked a variety of trends, ranging from food to lipstick to clothes to tourism. The drama about an alien in love with Hallyu star was even responsible for incorporating Korean phrases into the Chinese language.
One of the tastiest trends the drama inspired was the eating of chimaek, which is the combination of chicken and beer.
"On a snowy day, chicken and beer is best," said Jun Ji Hyun's character Chun Song Yi.
As soon as the episode aired, Chinese fans started ordering more chicken and beer combos.
The self-absorbed but lovable actress Chun Song Yi always managed to look glamorous even when mascara ran down her cheeks. She wore expensive luxury brands such as Hermes, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, and Christian Dior, as well as affordable luxury brands. Fashion items such as her white-cropped jacket, polka dot boots, cage boots and quilted leather jacket set off searches online for similar items. Her character often wore a trench coat and those flew off the racks. The lipstick she wore in the drama as well as her shoes, bag, fragrance and accessories all became desirable commodities.
The locations in the film also inspired tourism. It's not the first time a Hallyu export prompted visits to Korean location sites. The Hallyu tourism boom began in 2002 when Japanese fans of the drama "Winter Sonata" wanted to see locations of their favorite show. As a result of Chinese fans' love for "You Who Came For The Stars," tourists have visited the Incheon Metropolitan City Museum, where Kim Soo Hyun tries to tell Jun Ji Hyun about his past. It's a real museum full of historical artifacts. They also visited the Korean Folk Village, where his character floats her over for a kiss, and Jangnam Reservoir in Gyeonggi, the scene of the characters' frozen-in-time, frozen lake kiss.
Fans have also traveled to the campus of Incheon National University where Kim Soo Hyun's character Do Min Joon is a college professor and Chun Song Yi is a lackluster student.
The drama also affected the Chinese language. Fans began using the Korean word "sshi," which means "mister" instead of translating the word.
Chun Song Yi calls him Do Min Joon-sshi because that's the polite Korean way to refer to him. In Chinese it would be So Min Joon Sshiansheng. But Chinese fans decided to stay true to the drama and call the character Do Min Joon-sshi.
Do "You Who Came From The Stars" inspire you to do anything? Try chicken and beer? Take a trip to Korea? Let us know.
