Author: Heyu Guo
Could you imagine studying in one field for eight years? And you think that is your pursuit for the years to come, but one day you are summoned by a preordained mission that you could not put off. Yeye, a marketing editor in a publication institution and a social-media director on Korean Literature, is a prototype of this contingency.
The magic of contemporary Korean culture is that it can connect people worldwide with the same passion. It prospered in China and attracted many young people to engage in it. Yeye was one of them. Gradually, Korean culture became emblematic of the bloom of youthful energy. Its presence filled the gap in entertainment culture in China at the time, which also predetermined its success in the Chinese market. Yeye has enjoyed watching K-dramas since elementary school. As she recalled during her school years, "My peers in school talked about Korean dramas and stars all the time; we discussed it so often that it became a daily routine." With more and more k-dramas she watched, Yeye created an account on social media to share her thoughts.
Yeye especially enjoyed sharing her favorite shows with others. It is like entering a fascinating and exclusive world where only the ones with the keys can proceed. Yeye is the messenger to pass out the keys, and she is satisfied whenever she sees people inside sharing a big smile or tears. Throughout this process, Yeye herself also discovered something special. One of her readers from the K-drama account commented if she could find out the book that appeared in the tv show. The comment initiated Yeye's curiosity in Korean literature, as she started to reflect on why she never paid any attention to their literature when she was an aficionado of Korean culture. After she sent out her first post about the book, the reactions from her readers were surprisingly laudatory. They enjoyed learning about Korean literature, which paved a new path for Yeye. She continued to organize and post for Korean literature for months, during which she unearthed the satisfaction and meaning of reading literature.
But it was never easy in the adult world. She had to make choices for her future. Like most young people, Yeye decided to major in medical science in college for eight years of school. Being a doctor sounded like a good choice for Yeye and her family. It was a decent job with many future opportunities and a common intention that was unlikely to be risky. Yeye was a diligent student with a lot of professional knowledge to learn, and she had to give up some of her leisure time to devote to studying. She focused less on literature and her interests as she focused on college studies. "Life was consistent, but I'd always felt like floating in the air. I was doing my work, but I did not feel the liveliness I had when I immersed myself in the world of reading." Yeye knew she had to be her own savior, so she picked up the habit of reading.
Yeye restarted her journey of reading literature. She found that literature was simply another world of fascination. Words can seem inenarrable, but in the process of reading, she could see the peace within her. Literature is a bridge that connects people by emotions and empathy, the most distinctive abilities that humans are endowed with. Yeye utilizes the power of literature to draw herself closer to Korean culture. She saw an invisible part of Korea that many had overlooked: the world apart from entertainment and popular culture. She found that she could understand details in the show and the connotations better with the knowledge she read. Yeye has set her goal: to make more people feel the power of Korean literature. And she gave up the way of living according to plan but decided to work as a marketing editor in publications for Korean literature. Nothing was easy but more manageable when you worked with passion.
Yeye enjoyed her identity as a cultural messenger between Korea and China. One of the most meaningful working experiences for Yeye was volunteering at China-Korea Youth Diplomatic Corps. She did a project on the book "Kim Ji-Young: Born 1982" which enabled her to interview people in local Korea on their thoughts on the book. Yeye said that this experience was memorable because it was so popular in Korea that everyone had read it. As this book was about a housewife who suffered from everyday sexism and depression, it evoked people's attention and discussion of sexism and feminism in society. Society and literature are independent of each other yet interconnected. The duty that literature undertakes could be more than we envisioned.
Besides revealing societal issues, Yeye viewed literature as a medium for cross-cultural communication that unites individuals. Growing up in China but possessing entangled connections with Korean culture discloses Yeye's open-minded perspective in the way she is dedicated to achieving the goal of sustaining language art to a broader population. Yeye noticed the polarized views online of Korean culture. Nevertheless, she was not distrusted by this fact. Yeye strives to mitigate the stereotypes and cultural barriers between China and Korea. "It motivated me to continue in what I'm doing now since most people are still unfamiliar with the unfiltered version of Korean culture. I believe that to insist on promoting Korean literature is thus necessary."
Behind the success of contemporary Korean culture, including movies, dramas, art, and literature, comes the cultural confidence and creed people tend to seek. The center of any form of art comes back to human emotional connections. Good works create resonations, and there is no difference in literature. On the one hand, each literature work is unique, with specific cultural influences, the author's personal experiences, and social contexts. On the other hand, literature is a universal language that welcomes everyone. And Yeye's prospect for it is to make more people realize the beauty and strength of literature are borderless. Looking back at her decision to change the job, Yeye unfolded: "I am never regretful of my decision. Honestly, I felt that I am the luckiest person, for I have chosen literature just as literature has picked me."