Chinese search engine calls Korean fan dance 'Chinese'

Korean Heritage

Published: 19 Dec. 2023, 13:47 Updated: 19 Dec. 2023, 13:52

Chinese search engine calls Korean fan dance 'Chinese'

The Korean fan dance, created by Korean dancer and choreographer Kim Baek-bong, is described as a Korean Chinese folk dance on Baidu. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

China's largest search engine Baidu is facing criticism from some Koreans online for describing a modern fan dance originating from Korea as a Korean Chinese folk dance.

The backlash comes after Korean activist Seo Kyoung-duk brought the matter to attention on his social media.

"The Hong Kong Palace Museum's official social media account posted a photo with [dancers] dressed in hanbok (traditional Korean dress) performing the fan dance and called it a 'Chinese Dance' in May to much controversy," Seo said in a social media post.

The fan dance, created by Korean folk dancer Kim Baek-bong (1927–2023), is described on Baidu as a “traditional Chinese folk dance,” and that the “ethnic groups including the Han, Hani and Korean [people] have formed their own fan dances in different styles” over time.

A video of dancers performing the Korean fan dance for an exam at the Beijing Music & Dance Academy is also titled “Chaoxianzu fan dance” and described as an "ethnic folk dance” on Baidu.

The fan dance is described on Baidu as a “traditional Chinese folk dance,” and that the “ethnic groups including the Han, Hani and Korean [people] have formed their own fan dances in different styles” over time. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The dance was created as a solo dance based on traditional Korean dance movements, and was first performed by Kim in November 1954. It was first performed as a group in 1968, according to the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture.

According to the Culture Ministry’s Korean Culture and Information Service, the dance depicts the “restrained beauty, elegance and dignified lines of women,” while also showing the harmony of yin and yang.

The dance was designated as an intangible cultural asset in 2014.

Kim was born in South Pyongan Province, now under North Korea's control. She studied under leading modern dancer Choi Seung-hee and later created over 600 dances. Kim died in April at the age of 96.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]