Li Chanjuan, a college student from Chongqing, is so crazy about Korean soap operas that she watches them day and night. In fact, she hardly has time to eat or sleep, let alone attend classes.

Li's infatuation with South Korea doesn't end at TV dramas. She is consumed by all things Korean. Li constantly talks about the fashionable Korean stars she wants to dress like. When she watched Full House, a romantic story set in a beautiful house, she admired the lips and eyebrows of Korean actress Song Hye Kyo so much that she bought Etude lipsticks and eyebrow powder. The leading South Korean cosmetics brand can be found in almost every shopping mall in Beijing and other large cities.

Li has taken her admiration for South Korean products a step further. She buys only Samsung mobile phones and Korean dishes are always her first choice when she dines out. The walls of her college dorm are covered with posters of handsome South Korean TV stars.

The growing fascination with South Korean products and styles among the Chinese is a strong testament to the success and popularity of South Korean soap operas during the past 15 years. The soaps have sparked a craze of sorts in China for Korean food, clothes, cosmetics and electronic products.

After the broadcast of Dae Jang Geum, a story about South Korea's first female physician that featured a vivid portrayal of Korean royal court cuisine and medicine, restaurants serving Korean dishes mushroomed across China. Kimchi, a traditional Korean fermented dish made of seasoned vegetables, is in great demand in Chinese supermarkets.

Owning to the TV dramas, South Korean clothes such as half-length hose worn with short skirts and wide-leg jeans worn with close-fitting leisure jackets are now synonymous with fashion in China. Young Chinese women like Li spend as much money on Etude cosmetics as on expensive French brands such as Lancôme and Chanel.

The increasing demand for Korean products has helped push up trade between China and South Korea. For instance, there appears to be a positive correlation between the number of South Korean soap operas shown in China and trade levels between the two countries. China went from broadcasting one South Korean TV drama in 1993 to 107 in 2004, while trade between the two countries for those same years jumped from $8.2 billion to $90 billion.

In addition, an increasing number of Chinese visitors are pouring into South Korea. Their number soared from 500,000 in 2003 to 900,000 last year, according to statistics released by the South Korean Embassy in Beijing. Many young couples choose to spend their honeymoons on Jeju Island, an idea that appears to be inspired by South Korean soaps. The picturesque island is featured in many South Korean TV dramas.

Since the first South Korean soaps hit China's airwaves, their influence has been unequaled. About 100 million Chinese TV viewers watch Korean soap operas daily, said Kim Ha Joong, South Korea's Ambassador to China. In sharp contrast to dismal Chinese soap operas, Korean programs keep winning accolades and viewers in China's entertainment market. The Chinese tune in to the two main types of South Korean TV dramas that focus on teen idols and family life. Although many Chinese soaps feature similar themes, very few of them touch viewers as deeply as the Korean ones. Viewers are put off by the lack of insight into the Chinese psyche and the over-exaggerated performances of Chinese TV actors.

Korean soaps shown in China in the early 1990s were mostly aired at midnight. But as more viewers watched these programs, broadcasters moved up their airtimes from midnight to prime time.

What types of viewers keep pushing up ratings? They are predominantly female and come from all ages and from all walks of life.

Ask any of your female friends if she watches South Korean soaps, and the answer likely will be yes. The programs became an essential part of Wang Zhanyun's life after she retired from her career as a math teacher.

"I like South Korean soaps because they tell about the everyday life of people just like me," she said. "They make me feel comfortably at home."

Wen Jinxing, a 23-year-old civil servant in Beijing, is among the few men who watch Korean TV dramas. He discovered them during college when out of curiosity he tuned in to his first South Korea soap opera Gaeul Donghwa, otherwise known as Endless Love. He became an instant fan.

"Pure yet dramatic love, humorous and relaxing plots, fancy clothes and makeup, good-looking guys and girls -- South Korean soaps represent everything a young person dreams of," Wen said. He has watched so many TV dramas that he can communicate with Koreans using the simple words he learned from them, he said.

The key to the popularity of the South Korean soaps lies in the shared cultural traditions between Chinese and Koreans, Ambassador Kim said.

"Although the Chinese people are striding their way to a wealthy and stable life, the eminent cultural gap still hinders them from accepting the Western culture," Kim said. "However, while watching South Korean soap operas, Chinese viewers can always find something familiar to them. It might be the same family values, or the similar gender relations, and so on."