Promotional materials of C-dramas Photo: Sina Weibo

From office romances and lavish family melodramas to AI-generated revenge stories, Chinese dramas are finding a growing audience in South Korea, with their appeal increasingly extending beyond screens to tourist destinations across China, according to reports from South Korean media.

South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper reported that Chinese workplace romance The Early Spring ranked sixth on Netflix's list of popular shows in South Korea as of September 11. 

Chinese productions also accounted for six of the top 20 programs on local streaming platform TVING's real-time rankings, prompting the service to establish a dedicated section showcasing Chinese dramas, including exclusive acquisitions.

For some viewers, the appeal has spread through personal recommendations.

South Korean composer Lily Chae, who works on K-pop and commercial music, discovered Chinese dramas through their original soundtracks. Watching The Early Spring left a lasting impression on her, drawing her into Chinese pop music and sparking an interest in the settings that give the stories their emotional depth.

Chae told the Global Times that she plans to visit Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province, and hopes to travel to Beijing in the future to explore locations associated with The Early Spring and reconnect with the emotions the drama evoked.

For some viewers, however, the attraction extends beyond finding another series to watch.

Claire, a South Korean fan of Chinese dramas, began watching them with her grandmother in primary school. After rediscovering the genre in recent years through Hidden Love, she became a regular viewer, drawn to both contemporary romances and historical productions.

She told the Global Times that many Chinese dramas were easy to watch because their romantic storylines did not necessarily put characters through endless hardships. China's large entertainment industry also meant a steady supply of new series and actors to discover.

Her interest has taken her to Shanghai and Yantai, East China's Shandong Province, where she hoped to experience China beyond the screen. She also wants to make Chinese friends and learn the language so that she can understand at least some of the dialogue in her favorite shows.

For fans planning similar trips, social media has become an informal guidebook. On Chinese lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, better known as RedNote, some South Korean visitors share itineraries and photographs inspired by Chinese productions, helping turn memorable scenes into destinations to visit.

Chongqing in Southwest China, for example, has attracted fans of The First Frost, starring Bai Jingting, with its multilayered roads, futuristic cityscape and the illuminated Hongyadong complex. Those drawn to quieter scenery have looked to Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, whose lakeside landscapes feature in The Best Thing, starring Zhang Linghe.

The appeal is not limited to visiting a city that resembles a scene on screen. Some travelers want to step into the world of the drama themselves.

At Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang, a major production base for Chinese historical and costume dramas, visitors can tour film sets, dress in period costumes and take photographs inspired by their favorite shows.

Han Dan, a publicity official at the studio, told the Global Times that the popularity of Pursuit of Jade, starring Zhang Linghe and Tian Xiwei, has attracted more South Korean visitors interested in seeing its film sets.

For some tourists, the experience goes a step further. Hengdian also offers personalized short-drama services, allowing visitors to become the lead character in their own productions.

For 200 to 300 yuan ($30-$45), customers can work with a director, camera operator and costume and makeup team to shoot a vertical-format mini-drama and take home the finished video. The service turns a conventional sightseeing trip into a participatory experience, allowing fans to recreate the visual style of the productions they watch on their phones.

The tourism trend comes as Chinese dramas and short-form productions expand their reach in South Korea. Mobile-app data cited by South Korean media shows that the combined monthly active users of the country's 10 largest short-drama platforms reached 2.98 million in August, about 3.3 times that of 2025. Eight of the 10 platforms had Chinese corporate backgrounds.

The format, built around brief episodes and fast-moving storylines, has found an audience among commuters and viewers looking for light entertainment. Chinese platforms have also introduced Korean subtitles and begun working with local actors and production teams to adapt content for the market.

A resident surnamed Yoon from Paju city in Gyeonggi Province told the Global Times that he regularly watches short dramas on the subway while commuting. Members of an online South Korean community for fans of Chinese dramas have similarly praised the short episode format as convenient for watching during meals or while traveling.

While short dramas offer an easy entry point, longer series can create a more sustained emotional connection with viewers, giving them a reason to seek out the places they have seen on screen.

"Chinese destinations offer an opportunity to attract overseas visitors through stories that make unfamiliar places feel personal. A city skyline, a lakeside walkway or a historic film set can take on new meaning when viewers associate it with a favorite character or a memorable scene," said Han.