The foul-play specialist who only cares about makeup, ‘Ewha Women Soccer’... Why do Chinese films lampoon Korea - 경향신문

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Scene from the trailer for ‘Kung Fu Women Soccer’. Provided by Professor Seo Kyung-duk

There are conditions for a villain in film. They cannot be much stronger than the protagonist, nor too weak. The audience should recognize the face, and it should be a familiar opponent so that defeating them feels satisfying. The recurring trope of ‘a cheating Korea’ in Chinese films appears related to this formula for crafting antagonists.

The film <Kung Fu Women Soccer> produced by Stephen Chow (Zhou Xingchi) is the latest example. Released in China on the 11th, it surpassed 600 million yuan in box office revenue within three days (about $88,000,000 (115,000,000,000 KRW)), becoming a hit. Effectively a follow-up to the 2001 hit <Shaolin Soccer>, it is a comedy in which a weak women soccer team fuses martial arts to work a miracle.

However, the depiction of the Korean team in the film has sparked controversy. The work features an ‘Ewha Women Soccer team’ reminiscent of Ewha Womans University. The players care only about colored contact lenses and makeup, and the team is portrayed as habitually committing fouls and using tricks during matches. With clumsy Korean lines layered on top, critics say the intent to ridicule is blatant.

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women University argued that even if it is fiction, repeatedly belittling Korean sports is clearly wrong and that problematic scenes should be edited before overseas release. He added that the ‘Ewha Women Soccer team’ reminiscent of Ewha is shown playing ‘foul soccer’ that uses all sorts of underhanded tactics, and that players are depicted wearing circle lenses and focusing on makeup, while the insertion of awkward Korean drew derisive laughter.

In fact, this is not the first time. During the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a short-track promotional video produced by Beijing Radio and Television (BRTV) portrayed a Korean skater as constantly committing fouls and obstructing a Chinese skater, who in contrast was shown as fair and square. Coupled with the intense strain in ChinaKorea sentiment over short-track officiating at the time, the issue drew controversy not only in Korea but also in foreign media.

It is hard to see this as a coincidence when such similar setups recur so often. Whether in soccer or short track, Korea frequently plays the role of ‘the rival that cheats’.

What is interesting is that Chinese content does not portray Korea as an absolute enemy like the United States or Japan. Rather, it is closer to an opponent often faced and one they are determined to beat.

Chinese soccer has long had a term meaning fear of Korea. The phrase arose because for decades after 1978 the Chinese national team failed to notch wins against Korea. Over time, a sports term turned into an internet meme and has been invoked not only in soccer but whenever China and Korea meet in short track, e-sports, badminton, and more. Korea has taken root as a symbol of both the opponent that must be overcome and the competitor that must be defeated.

On the 20th, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the controversy, noting that while the film is a box-office success in China, criticism has arisen in Korea that it mocks Korean women soccer. SCMP also relayed that among Chinese viewers there are both supportive reactions and disappointment with the film itself. Some take it as simple gags, but it also shows that an old code of lampooning Korea is still being consumed.

Why does this keep happening? Peter Hays Gries, an American political scientist who has studied Chinese nationalism and a professor at the University of Oklahoma, analyzed in his 2012 paper <How Do Chinese Netizens Think and Feel About North and South Korea> that Chinese netizens hold an ambivalent view of Korea. They show favorable feelings toward the Korean Wave and Korea’s economic development, yet when disputes over history and culture flare up, such as the Goguryeo controversy or Dano, a strong perception emerges that Korea is trying to appropriate China’s proud cultural heritage.

He explained that to understand China’s external sentiments, one should pay attention to mass nationalism. It is not only top-down propaganda by the state; popular competitiveness and pride also influence diplomacy and cultural consumption. He particularly analyzed that Chinese nationalism is expressed by coupling national pride with external competition.

From this perspective, Korea is the most manageable rival for China. It is not an overwhelmingly powerful nation like the United States, nor is it an object whose narrative is dominated by historical grievances like Japan. Instead, it is a neighboring country constantly compared and competing across nearly every field, from soccer and short track to semiconductors, K-pop, dramas, and games. This is why Korea is repeatedly summoned in sports films that need to set up a rival.

Of course, it is hard to interpret this work solely through the personal politics of director Stephen Chow. As a leading figure in Hong Kong comedy, he has long made works that side with the weak over power and prioritize laughter over ideology. Recent scholarship on Chinese cinema, however, focuses less on individual directors and more on changes in the industry itself.

Stanley Rosen, a scholar of Chinese cinema at USC, has analyzed that Chinese films are geared more toward domestic audiences than overseas ones and serve to strengthen patriotism and national identity. Film scholar Gary Ronsley likewise explains that in Chinese cinema the boundary between entertainment and politics easily collapses, and national identity is naturally reproduced even in popular films.

The ‘cheating Korea’ on screen is therefore less about Korea itself and more akin to a symbol of competition constructed by Chinese society. Because it is familiar, it becomes fodder for jokes; because it is often encountered, it becomes a target for victory.

The problem is that as this setup is repeated, sporting rivalry can harden into cultural prejudice, and comedy can calcify into a national image. Rivals make sports compelling, but they do not justify prejudice. The controversy over <Kung Fu Women Soccer> is not just about a single comedy film; it asks again what kind of symbol Chinese content is making of Korea.