"Alright, we've got Daejanggeum posters here for 10 Yuan," "Take your pick folks, we've got it all: MP3 players to mobile phones." The lobby of the Mirage Hotel in Urumqi, capital of China’s remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on July 13. On the Silk Road, a Korean market unfolds, and a group of 27 students from Kwangwoon University on a nine-day field trip join in the bartering.

At the vending booth there are four mobile phones and some digital products along with albums from Shinhwa and Rain, about 200 items in total which the students brought with them from Korea. The student in charge of bringing in the customers is sophomore Lee Hyeon-hwa (20, Media and Communication Arts). All decked out for the occasion in a Jangguem-style hanbok or Korean traditional wear, while 24-year-old English Literature senior Jeon Hyeon-wook has been charged with the male officer role opposite Janggeum.

The popularity of the historical TV drama "Daejanggeum (A Jewel in the Palace)" being televised across the country means it doesn't take long before a swarm of onlookers descend on the booth. One local abruptly picks up a frame with the picture of the drama's star Lee Young-ae and says, "Daejanggeum's is the most popular here," while another customer, who bought an album of gayageum (Korean zither) music said, "Why don't you sell kimchi and stuff?" One Chinese student picks up a bottle of soju and has a try at the word "so-joo" before proclaiming, "I'm going to have to drink this with my friends." In no time the 200 items have disappeared. The students also had the foresight to bring a photo printer, so they are able to take pictures with the locals and distribute them on the spot.


"It feels just like I've become a Korean Wave star myself. Some of the people who’ve already been came back again with their friends to get pictures," says a giddy Jeon dressed in his officer's costume. Junior Yoo Seung-Hye (21, Korean Literature) says, "Trying to sell this stuff here gave me a feeling of just how strong the Korean Wave really is. My heart is brimming with satisfaction because I feel like we really gave the people a good impression of Korea and Korean university students." Urumqi was once an important way-station on the Silk Road and flowered as the nexus for east-west cultural exchange but is now regarded as an economic backwater in China.

The students’ retail activities raised some 1,023 Yuan (US$1= 8.00 CNY) with which they bought 10 bicycles and 10 boxes of diapers that they then donated to a children's center. The person who put the whole project together said, "Ahead of the summer break, we just had the idea that instead of just taking the students on a simple overseas study trip, we could learn about history, interact with the people, and feel pride about our culture as we observe the changing landscape in China."

Source: Digital Chosunilbo