Posted on 10/18/2007 10:32:52 PM PDT by Tamar1973
BEIJING--Chinese President Hu Jintao may be an avid viewer of South Korean sudsers, but different interpretations of Chinese history and Korea's founding myths may see the Korea's top skein banned from Chinese screens.
Sheer popularity alone has not been enough to stop Korean Wave star Bae Yong-joon's $46 million skein "The Four Guardian Gods of the King" being blacklisted by state media watchdogs over its view of Chinese history.
The mega-drama, also referred to as "Taewangsasingi," is by far the biggest TV show in Korean history and has drawn a one-in-five-plus household rating in Korea.
But skein is now on China's media watchdog, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television's (SARFT) black-list and may be banned in China mainland for "distorting Chinese history". The complex plot covers multiple periods in ancient Korean history, including the founding of the kingdom Gojoseon in 2,333 B.C. and the reign of King Gwanggaeto of the Goguryeo Kingdom (391-413 A.D.). The Goguryeo era has emerged as a point of contention in recent years, with Chinese scholars claiming it should considered part of Chinese history.
The national founding mythologies of both China and Korea have many overlap points and there is intense rivalry over various aspects of early history.
The Oriental Morning Post also said that elements of the skein were not popular in Korea, a fact which would seem to be belied by the ratings.
The article goes on to accuse other big sudsers of "smearing Chinese history", including "Dae Jo-yeong", which contains a scene of attempted assassination which never happened, and "Yeon-Gaesomun", which depicts the Tang emperor Li Shimin as "ugly" and "foolish", and the army as having to beg for mercy.
"In "The Immortal Lee Soon Shin", soldiers and equipment from China's Ming Dynasty are shown much feebler than they were, and Ming Dynasty figures are not in accord with history," said the report in Oriental Morning Post.
They're missing out on probably the best "telenovela" to come out of South Korea. Legend, MBC official site in Korean
King Gwanggaeto is like Alexander of Macedonia. He drastically expanded the Goguryeo's territory during his rein. However, episodes dealing with his westward expansion toward China, and battle against Japanese troops who invaded Silla were dropped from the story.
Still it is not enough for China, I guess. To me, Guardian is more like Goguryeo Yonga(or Sonata) where suave royal prince weaves many love affairs with female deities or real girls in acient Goguryeo.
I have to question why it has to be King Gwanggaeto to make the drama work. I know it is the most attention-drawing choice, but Gwanggaeto is not known as a love prince in any known accounts of history. He was rather quite busy running the state and waging a war.
Well, BYJ is Yongsama, afterall. He's hotter in Japan than he is in Korea. They aren't going to upset the apple cart on the other side of the East Sea (Sea of Japan).
King Gwanggaeto is like Alexander of Macedonia. He drastically expanded the Goguryeo's territory during his rein. However, episodes dealing with his westward expansion toward China, and battle against Japanese troops who invaded Silla were dropped from the story.
There was quite the talk about the changes in the script which caused the delays in the airing of the program. It was supposed to air in May 2007 and they postponed it until Sept. 2007. I read that BYJ encouraged them to restructure it. I read BYJ basically told them they should either focus on the mystical or the literal. It seems they're focusing a bit more on the mystical.
Still it is not enough for China, I guess. To me, Guardian is more like Goguryeo Yonga(or Sonata) where suave royal prince weaves many love affairs with female deities or real girls in acient Goguryeo.
Yeah, well, he is a cutie! LOL! Can't let that go to waste.
I have to question why it has to be King Gwanggaeto to make the drama work. I know it is the most attention-drawing choice, but Gwanggaeto is not known as a love prince in any known accounts of history. He was rather quite busy running the state and waging a war.
Goguryeo is quite fashionable lately. I guess the Choson dynasty has been done, re-done and over done! Besides the reign of King Gwanggaeto is seen by many historians as the zenith of Korean power in North Asia. You know they were going to do something about it sometime. It just took Korea's biggest Hallyu star to make it into the most popular program on Korean TV (even more popular than Winter Sonata was when it originally aired on Korean TV back in 2002.
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I’d ban that Mr. Lady too ;-)
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