China has undergone a profound disconnection between tradition and modernity through the devastating Cultural Revolution, which systematically destroyed much of its indigenous cultural heritage. To fill this cultural vacuum, China has increasingly turned its attention to Korean culture and the Korean Wave (Hallyu), making baseless claims that Korean cultural elements actually originated in China. These attempts go far beyond simple historical distortion—they stem from a complex mixture of Sinocentrism, deep-seated inferiority complex, and aggressive nationalism combined with an irrational obsession with Korean culture. This article examines the current state of China's cultural appropriation of Korean heritage and explores the profound historical and psychological reasons behind these troubling phenomena.
The Reality: China's Systematic Cultural Appropriation Campaign
In recent years, China has sparked numerous controversies by claiming that core elements of Korean traditional culture—including kimchi, hanbok, pansori, Arirang, and even the Korean alphabet (Hangul)—actually originated in China. On globally-used social media platforms and digital spaces, Chinese netizens have been systematically spreading the message that "Korean culture derives from China," accompanied by organized cyber-bullying campaigns and economic pressure tactics that transcend national borders.
During international events like the Beijing Winter Olympics three years ago, China actively attempted to present Korean cultural elements as Chinese to a global audience, essentially rebranding stolen culture as their own heritage.
The derogatory term "thief nation" (小偷国, xiǎotōu guó) has become widespread in Chinese discourse about Korea. On Chinese social media platforms and Baidu Baike (China's equivalent of Wikipedia), aggressive tactics are employed to manipulate the origins of representative Korean traditional culture, falsely attributing them to southern China or ethnic minorities, while simultaneously locking editing functions to prevent corrections.
Specific Cases and Patterns
Kimchi: Baidu Baike describes kimchi as having "Chinese origins" with restricted editing access to prevent factual corrections.
Hanbok: Claims that hanbok is actually "clothing bestowed by the Ming Dynasty" to Joseon Korea, pushing a "hanbok = Chinese clothing" narrative. China has even coined the neologism "Hanfu" (汉服), claiming it as the original source of hanbok, despite hanbok's distinct historical development and unique characteristics that predate these fabricated connections.
Hangul, Pansori, Samgyetang, Lunar New Year: Systematically diminished by claiming these originated with ethnic Koreans in China (Chaoxianzu) or other Chinese minority groups. Particularly egregious is China's claim regarding Hangul—the Korean alphabet created by King Sejong the Great. Hangul is unique among human writing systems as the only script whose creator, creation date, and purpose are fully documented and known. Despite the entire world recognizing Hangul as Korea's writing system with its creation meticulously recorded in historical documents, China absurdly claims that Hangul derives from Chinese characters, demonstrating the extent of their historical revisionism.
These claims transcend grassroots nationalism and are directly connected to government-level cultural engineering policies. They manifest as large-scale economic threats, information censorship, coordinated comment manipulation, and organized boycott movements.
Why China Appropriates Korean Culture: The Root Causes
China's cultural appropriation campaign stems from an intricate web of factors: an identity crisis resulting from the "disconnection between tradition and modernity," anxiety over the global spread of Hallyu, and state-sponsored nationalist strategies.
1. The Cultural Destruction Left by the Cultural Revolution
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the Chinese Communist Party systematically destroyed thousands of years of cultural heritage, intellectuals, and traditional society. Beyond Confucian-related cultural assets, temples, fortresses, palaces, artworks, and folk rituals were rapidly eradicated. This left modern China with a fatal wound—a complete disconnection from traditional culture—creating an enormous void in social and historical identity.
To fill this vacuum, China sought to reconstruct an image of being the "original source of all culture." They identified Korea, the most prominent and culturally vibrant neighbor, as a target for appropriation. What China lost through self-destruction, they now attempt to steal from others.
2. The Intensification of Sinocentrism and Cultural Chauvinism
For centuries, China has maintained the ideology of "Sinocentrism" (中华思想), positioning itself as the suzerain of East Asian civilization and the source of all culture. Modern China leverages this ideology while feeling threatened by neighboring countries' cultural growth and pride. They push the narrative that "everything Korean originally belonged to China."
The Chinese government strategically employs Chinese nationalism as a tool for domestic unity and regime legitimacy. The rapid rise of Hallyu has created a perceived crisis that cultural influence in Asia is shifting from China to Korea:
- To block Western cultural expansion and maintain regime legitimacy
- As a geopolitical strategy in the China-Korea-US power competition for influence over the Korean Peninsula
- Out of anxiety about Hallyu's inherently anti-authoritarian and open characteristics that challenge authoritarian control
3. Collective Inferiority Complex and Psychological Insecurity
The destruction of cultural heritage, scholarship, and arts during the Cultural Revolution created a profound loss of confidence in "authentic Chinese culture" within Chinese society. Conversely, after economic growth, Korean culture (K-POP, K-Drama, etc.) gained worldwide popularity, leading some Chinese netizens and officials to psychologically cling to the absurd claim that "Chinese culture was stolen by Korea."
Underlying this claim is a working combination of inferiority toward Hallyu, anxiety about Korean national pride, and crisis consciousness regarding Hallyu's international prestige. This psychological projection allows them to avoid confronting their own cultural destruction by externalizing blame.
Conclusion: Preserving Korean Cultural Integrity and Active Countermeasures
China's appropriation of Korean culture is not merely a cultural dispute—it's a complex phenomenon rooted in China's fundamental identity crisis, Sinocentric psychology, and competition for international influence. While these claims lack any logical foundation, the systematic movement combining strong internal control, propaganda, and economic pressure makes this a dangerous cultural challenge that cannot simply be ignored.
Korean society must respond through multifaceted efforts: providing accurate information, strengthening international cultural diplomacy, actively mobilizing cyber diplomatic corps, and other proactive measures. Now is the critical time to protect Korean culture's historicity and originality through authentic tradition preservation and contemporary cultural creation that speaks to our modern era. The world must understand that Korea's vibrant cultural heritage stands on its own—independent, ancient, and irreplaceable.