BEIJING (Yonhap) ― China’s state-run media on Friday urged the country’s TV drama producers to learn from South Korean dramas, citing the “new round of popularity” in China of the Korean fantasy-romance soap “You Who Came From the Star.”

The hit drama series, which is also enjoying a popularity rating of about 25 percent in South Korea, is rapidly gaining wider audience appeal in China, with actors Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Soo-hyun becoming household names among young Chinese people.

Running in prime time on commercial station SBS TV since December, “You Who Came From the Star” is about an alien from outer space who falls in love with a top actress.

In an op-ed piece published by the China Daily, writer Xiao Lixin attributed the Korean drama’s success in China to “great innovations in South Korean TV productions in terms of themes and narrative patterns.”

“Take ‘You Who Came From the Star’ as an example. Although aliens visiting Earth is an oft-used theme, the plot of ‘You Who Came From the Star’ remains logical and fast-paced,” Xiao wrote.

“When it comes to love stories, the new South Korean teleplays no longer use the distress card; instead, they intersperse them with whimsy and romantic punch lines,” Xiao said.

High-speed photography and computer-generated effects also help Korean TV dramas create a lifelike visual impact, Xiao said.

“Hopefully, the innovation-induced success of South Korean TV programs will prompt Chinese TV drama makers to think up new ideas and abandon their bad practice of copying foreign productions in order to attract more viewers at home, and possibly abroad,” Xiao said.