Cinderella's victory By Vivien Wang Updated: 2006-05-16 11:31
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Li Yuchun | She has "the worst
singing skills of the top six in the contest," according to Hei Nan, one of the
2005 Super Girl Contest judges. But despite this detriment and her tomboy look,
contest winner Li Yuchun garnered the most audience votes. Of the voters, the
number of girls overwhelmed the number of boys.
In the 2006 Super Girl contest that started this April, people were surprised
to see hundreds of Li Yuchun lookalikes among the contestants. Some of them have
already won lots of fans. Call it the Li Yuchun phenomenon.
This theme has taken over in popular Korean dramas aired throughout China.
Loved by women from 16 to 50, most Korean dramas repeat the same Cinderella
story. Most heroines are neither beautiful nor knowledgeable. They are usually
poor, crude, lazy, and clumsy, just waiting for their prince to arrive and whisk
them away. If there's any difference between these modern Cinderellas and the
classical one, it's in the attitude. Instead of bowing to the demands of
horrible stepmothers and sisters, they are always ready to fight back when being
unfairly treated.
The heroine in "Palace", a modern Cinderlla Korean drama
Although most heroines in Korean dramas have many imperfections, like hitting
the bottle or lying, they always attract elegant and noble 'princes' on the
screen. At the end of the drama the Cinderella beats out all other more
distinguished girls and win the hero's heart. Of course, they live happily ever
after.
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