An ideological liberation
SHIN KYUNG-JINThe author is a Beijing correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo.
Drama "My Liberation Notes" is gaining popularity in China. Millennial and Gen Z viewers in China empathize with a line in episode 12, "The desire that everyone else has other than worship and liberation." Son Suk-gu, who plays Mr. Gu in the show, earned the nickname, "orange fairy." The rating on drama review site Douban started from 8.9 and rose to 9.2. it is a higher score than the 7.6 that "Squid Game" received. Young Chinese viewers see themselves in the siblings who commute over a long distance.
However, the show is not officially distributed. Most viewers watch it using the "dark path." Netflix and Disney Plus are also in the same situation. Lately, Marvel movies have been blocked as well. The latest Doctor Strange movie has been banned from being screened, as it includes a newspaper published by Falun Gong, which has been identified as a cult, on a news stand. Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently said that the company would have little problem with the box office without the Chinese market.
China is shifting responsibility and argues that Marvel movies have turned into an ideological and political tool of the new Cold War. The Global Times recently wrote in a column that Chapek's comment was a "decoupling" declaration. Citing the example of Netflix's struggle, it argued that growth without the Chinese market would be a challenge.
Can "My Liberation Notes" enter China? The tears of the three Yeom siblings and Mr. Gu coincide with what Chinese people now call "leeks," which continue to grow no matter how much you cut off. It is connected to the "Tang Ping" phenomenon in China, meaning "choose to lie flat and get over the beatings." The message of "My Liberation Notes" goes beyond "Tang Ping."
In fact, liberation is what the ruling party in China likes to refer to. The military is called the Liberation Army, not the Chinese army. The civil war with the Kuomintang is called the War of Liberation. Liberation has expanded after opening and reform. China advocated ideological liberation, calling people to abandon all stereotypes. The liberation of ideology broke the strain of the emperor's rule that lasted more than 2,000 years. After a flood of innovation and creativity, China became the second largest economy in the world.
However, the situation reversed a few years ago. "Unification of ideology" replaced liberation of ideology. Innovation decreased, and the door of opportunity closed. Tang Ping spread. Another keyword in "My Liberation Notes" is worship. Online viewers translated it as "admiration." The parallels between liberation and admiration are ironic.
I explored the reviews on Chinese social media. I found some sad reactions from viewers in Shanghai in lockdown for over 50 days now. Liberation Daily, the name of the party newspaper in Shanghai, over-laps with "My Liberation Notes."'
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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