People line up to buy fried chicken at a Korean restaurant on Hongquan Road, Shanghai, on Monday. A popular South Korean drama, in which the female protagonist idolizes beer and fried chicken, has made chicken popular again, despite a recent spate of bird flu cases. [Photo / China Daily]

"My store usually closes at 10:30 pm. But I haven't finished work before 3 am every day since January. Fried chicken is the must-order dish for each table," he said.

Zhou Zhou, a student at Beijing Foreign Studies University, who took three exchange programs in Seoul and found popular items there and in Beijing were "strikingly similar", said, "Clearly the shows help popularize street food and spicy stews that are essential to the Korean heart and digestive tract."

The real draw is the crossover between Eastern and Western cultures, said Dai Yunjie, a seasoned concert promoter in Shanghai.

"The performers' synchronized dance moves and hand gestures do have an Asian flavor, but their music is really blended with Western elements, like hip-hop and rapping," said Dai.

Intrusive ads and a "going-mobile" trend have in part helped the Hallyu phenomenon to proliferate, said Michael Tang, president of hdtMEDIA, a digital advertising company.

"As people make trips to South Korea and see the latest line-ups or make big purchases, they are eager to 'share' instantly via Weibo or WeChat. It helps things to go viral much quicker than before," he said.

The growing popularity of Korean culture may also derive from a maturing business model, by which shows are tailored to the tastes of Chinese viewers, said Eric Moon, a senior manager at a South Korean firm in Shanghai.

"We are seeing a steady growth of Chinese indigenous entertainment shows in which more international elements are included. At the end of the day, the trend may even be reversed, with Koreans embracing a similar craving for Chinese products," Moon said.

But some people disagreed with the Hallyu phenomena.

"I accompanied my wife to eat Korean-style fried chicken, and I really don't like it. It's not even as good as KFC," said Dai Qiming, 30, a civil servant in Shanghai.

South Korean TV drama is popular only because it creates unreal characters that satisfy women's imaginations, he said.

He said the Hallyu phenomenon is also worrying to some extent, as under its influence the younger generation may abandon Chinese culture.