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When Life Gives You Tangerines effect: From Chen Zheyuan's recreation of Kim Seon Ho's wink scene to mass illegal watching in China
When Life Gives You Tangerines is gaining popularity in China, sparking interest among celebrities and fans. The drama's impact could be similar to Squid Game's success. Know more.
Netflix's When Life Gives You Tangerines has become a global phenomenon, breaking out as one of the platform's most successful K-drama releases. Despite Netflix being unavailable in China and K-content consumption being restricted there, the series has still managed to trend, inspiring a viral challenge based on Kim Seon Ho's iconic wink scene. However, its popularity in China has also sparked controversy over widespread unauthorized viewing, as reported by Chosun Biz on April 11.
The scene from episode 13 where Park Cheong Seop (Kim Seon Ho) sees Yang Geum Myeong (IU) in her wedding dress has become a sensation, with fans and celebrities recreating the pose. In the scene, he puts his hand on his heart and tilts his head to one side, dramatically portraying fainting due to her beauty. He then opens one eye to see her and smiles cutely, making the scene extremely endearing. People worldwide have re-enacted the scene, including top Chinese stars like Hidden Love's Chen Zheyuan and Moonlight Mystique's Bai Lu.
The viral trend, dubbed as "Kim Seon Ho Smile Challenge" involved mimicking his iconic head tilt, wink, and smile, with most of the videos containing the Meteor Garden soundtrack Ai Cun Zai (Love Exists). With the series' mounting popularity in China, comes concerns regarding unauthorized viewing. Despite Netflix being banned in China, IU-Park Bo Gum's When Life Gives You Tangerines has gained massive popularity through proxy services and unauthorized platforms. It is currently rated highly, with a score of 9.4 on the Chinese rating site Douban.
The Global Times reported on its popularity, stating, "It has become the highest-rated Korean drama on 'Douban' in recent years." As per the article, due to When Life Gives You Tangerines' popularity in the nation, speculation is surrounding the potential lifting of the ban on Korean content in China.
Many have criticised the ongoing situation as well. Professor Seo Kyung Duk condemned the mass illegal watching of the drama, stating, "Recently, during Squid Game Season 2, pirate viewing has become a norm in China. It is particularly astonishing that there is a complete lack of shame about it.”
