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Jaime Flod Cruz: It's the newest hit series on Chinese television, a South Korean blockbuster , Jewel In The Palace, a soap opera about a cook who overcame hardships to become a royal palace physician in ancient Korea.
Liao Meng: They use many, very light, yet interesting plots, very good story line, very beautiful people to present this, all these things.
Jaime Flod Cruz: The Jewel in the Palace is one of the jewels in the crown of Korean imports,turning on a new generation of Chinese and inspiring them to buy Korean.
It's all part of what the Chinese media call the Korean wave, a trend that has made all things Korean popular and Korean cuisine really hot. So hot that eating kimchi and bulgogi has become trendy among Chinese customers.
Cho Woo-Je: Our business has gone up 5 to 10 % as the Chinese('ve) got more interested in Korean cooking. They love to try new food.
Jaime Flod Cruz: So they added special dishes inspired by the Korean drama. South Korean businesses like this restaurant chain ride on the so-called Korean wave to crack the China market. They get help from Korean pop stars like Rain who enjoy a large following among young Chinese.
What are some cool must-have Korean imports?
Liao Meng: Mobile phone, electric appliance and also yeah ..the movie, even the dress, maybe this one, hairstyle, cosmetics, anythings. Yeah.
Jaime Flod Cruz: That's a different mindset from the Korean war era more than 50 years ago when Chinese soldiers fought against South Korean and American troops. China for decades stood beside their North Korean allies while snubbing their more prosperous rivals in the south.
Now Seoul and Beijing are major trading partners and they are even working together in the six-party talks to break the North Korean nuclear standoff. These positive moves are earning South Korea a lot of respect in China.
Kwon Ki Yong: Because of the impact of popular Korean culture, lots of young Chinese are now interested in learning Korean, many Chinese tourists visit South Korea, and our country's image has improved.
Jaime Flod Cruz: This 25-year-old editor has already travelled to South korea 2 times.
Qu YuanYuan: After I come back, I watch a lot, lots of dramas and then, I start to learn korean right now, and I think it's very natural because I, I love beautiful things.
Jaime Flod Cruz: Yes, there is a Jewel In The Palace and for Chinese, all that glitters in Korea these days is most certainly gold.
Jaime Flod Cruz ,CNN Beijing.
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