Recently the Hallyu wave has been leaning strongly towards China. SBS drama "My Love from the Star" is a record-breaking hit in China, and caused a "chicken & beer craze". Now Chinese fans can't get enough of the drama stars Jung Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun. The same goes for SBS' "The Heirs" star Lee Min Ho. It's as if we're once again witnessing the "Winter Sonata" craze that hit the Japanese market years ago.

K-Pop stars are becoming much more active in entering China as well. K-Pop stars are focusing not only on the Japanese market, but targeting a wider audience. Is China the new resting place for the Hallyu wave?

Hallyu's mecca is Japan. Along with Japanese Yen phenomenon, the Japanese broadcasting networks' revenue was reborn with top stars Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo. It was then followed by big companies in Korea looking to expand to Japan, and TVXQ, KARA, Girls' Generation, Big Bang, and other K-Pop stars entered the Japanese market.

However, the Hallyu wave that looked like it was going to continue forever in Japan has recently become stagnant. Since the advent of the Abe administration, it's become even more difficult. The decrease in value of the yen is also bad news. Top stars' popularities are still as hot as over, but it'll be almost close to impossible for a new Hallyu star to rise in Japan. That's why there are so many stories of the Hallyu wave dying out in Japan.

And so Korea's broadcasting and music companies have turned their eyes from Japan to China. China's economy has been booming, and the scale has gotten incomparably larger. Not only that, Japan seems to have taken quite a liking to Korea stars.

One Hallyu star that is currently active in China commented, "Compared to Korea, China's market is so big it's difficult to estimate the size. Even the earned income is not comparable." China is no longer a place barren of the Hallyu wave.

It seems like the most aggressive company in terms of entering the Chinese market is SM Entertainment. Ever since H.O.T days, the company has appreciated the high value of entering the Chinese market. That's why they've created sub units such as Super Junior M and EXO-M, which are composed of Chinese artists.

SM Entertainment stated, "From 10 years ago we've known the possibility of China's growth, and have been preparing for it. We're building a bridgehead to new markets."

SM's competitors YG Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, and FNC Entertainment are also hastening their steps to gain entry into China. YG recently held a trainee audition in China, traveling from Beijing to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. They're looking for the 2nd generation of Big Bang and 2NE1. JYP is looking to explore miss A's Chinese members Fei and Jia's capabilities and enter the Chinese market as well. FNC also held auditions in China this past March. Their artist FT Island's Lee Hong Ki's appearance in "Hundred Year Bride" has also become a hot topic in China.

However, creating content for the Chinese market won't be as easy as creating content for the Japanese market. Previously, what was needed was content for overseas markets, which then led to expansion thanks to investment and development. One professional stated, "The Chinese market is different." China's prevalent socialist system and local central ideas are walls that need to be overcome. Dr. Park Sung Hyun of the Korea Foundation Cultural Industry stated, "China, unlike Japan, has a socialist system. That's why even the culture has to pass a rigorous inspection by the authorities. If you just enter blindly with force, then you'll easily be made a fool."

Also, unlike Japan and Korea, there are some difficulties between Korea and China, including culture barriers and local communication difficulties. Chinese history can also be the center of this difficulty. If Korea takes a biased approach with only commercial interests in mind, then the Hallyu wave that's started to blow can disappear in just a moment.

Park said, "The Chinese take great pride in claiming that China's culture is the best. Although Korea's culture is currently being spotlighted, it cannot compare to the loyalty that Japan is currently showing."

Even still the Chinese market is quite appealing. Just as Korea entered the high barriers of the Japanese market by ensuring quality content, it's just a matter of time with the same strategy. Above all the key is to come up with killer content that can develop steadily and overcome the high walls of government approval and system of regulations.