"Korean Wave" as a Cultural Phenomenon in the Context of China’s Popular Culture

In recent years, the so-called Korean Wave (or Hallyu) has become a major global phenomenon symbolizing rapid spread of South Korean popular culture across the world. This thesis is aimed at examining the Korean Wave as a cultural phenomenon within the context of China’s modern popular culture. For this purpose, the paper presents the concept of Chinese popular culture along with its well-established structure and distribution channels that initially played a crucial role in the rise of Korean Wave in Asia starting from the 1990s. China is still the biggest market for Hallyu, however various socio-cultural and political factors have significantly limited the Hallyu-related activities in this country. The work includes an analysis of the origins of the term "Korean Wave", outlines the reasons for its popularity and defines the limitations for the phenomenon in China, including anti-Hallyu sentiment and 2016 anti-Hallyu ban, etc. The tendencies and conclusions outlined in the work are supported and strengthened by the results of an online survey among Chinese university students on their attitude towards various aspects of Korean Wave present in their lives.