China-Korea Culture Wars and National Myths: TV Dramas as Battleground.

The article presents a comparative analysis of the discourse on state building and national identity formation in historical television serials in China and South Korea. The dramas picture the struggles of two rulers who confronted external and internal enemies to national unification and territorial expansion namely Liu Che who became Emperor Wu and who consolidated the Han Dynasty and Jumong, founder of Goguryeo. The Great Han Emperor Wu was a production of China Central Television which premiered on January 2, 2005 while Jumong was a production of Munhwa Broadcasting Companyu of South Korea which premiered on May 15, 2006. Jumong was banned in China due to its strong nationalistic bent and negative portrayal of the Chinese.