"City Hunter" Lee Min-ho charms fans in Changsha; fans go crazy with enthusiasm
Because of the overwhelming popularity of Korean dramas such as "City Hunter" in Asia, on December 13th, Lee Min-ho made his first appearance on a mainland China variety show for the recording of "Happy Camp," causing thousands of fans to gather and completely surround the front plaza of Hunan Radio and Television Center. For Chinese fans who are still relatively unfamiliar with him, Lee Min-ho endeavored to be cute during this trip, playing pranks, measuring leg lengths, and every smile or frown elicited numerous screams from the audience.
In "City Hunter," Lee Min-ho sold his cuteness to the extreme in Changsha, revealing his sensitive personality while being excessively adorable. Due to the recent popularity of Korean dramas like "Boys Over Flowers (Korean Version)," "Personal Taste," and "City Hunter (Korean Version)," Lee Min-ho's popularity skyrocketed, and his appearance in Changsha caused congestion involving thousands of fans. With such warm reception, Lee Min-ho was in a great mood, especially enjoying being cute during his appearance on "Happy Camp." Upon taking the stage, he not only showcased his Chinese language skills but also casually threw in a sentence of Changsha dialect with a Korean accent: "Really can't get down, you all have come (Note: You've all arrived)." Although the tone of this Changsha dialect left the entire audience momentarily puzzled, even the native Changsha residents He Jiong and Li Weijia couldn't figure it out at first, it still caused many fans to scream wildly.
To please the nearly thousand fans who squeezed into the venue, Lee Min-ho, making his second appearance on "Happy Camp," fully cooperated with various games, including feeling around in a scary box, measuring leg lengths live on air, and performing hurdles. He also acted out the contrasting expressions of an office worker throughout the week, which is currently trending online, bringing his cuteness index to its peak. Having previously recorded a special episode of "Happy Camp" filmed in Korea, Lee Min-ho specially prepared numerous gifts for the hosts. Speaking about Lin Chi-ling, who had joined him on the trip to Korea, Lee Min-ho shyly expressed his anticipation for meeting her again and called out to her from afar, making Xie Na and numerous fans jealous. Despite displaying bravery and masculinity in "City Hunter," Lee Min-ho openly admitted that in real life, he is more sensitive, particularly fearing insects, prompting He Jiong to exclaim, "So you're not a god after all, you're human too!"
Even drinking water triggered a chorus of screams. In recent years, Lee Min-ho has become a highly sought-after star across all of Asia, drawing massive crowds wherever he goes. Prior to his visit to Changsha, the staff of "Happy Camp" were already lamenting on Weibo about the overwhelming number of friends requesting tickets, making attendance almost a luxury. Before the recording, thousands of Lee Min-ho's fans had already surrounded the front plaza of Hunan Radio and Television Center, leaving no room to maneuver. The studio outside was also packed to capacity, and Hunan TV dispatched twice as many security personnel as usual to maintain order. The 1200 square meter studio ultimately accommodated twice as many fans as before, with at least two people squeezed into each seat, and the aisles and stairwell sides were filled with fans. This spectacle left the five seasoned hosts marveling at his immense popularity. After the program began, there were still hundreds of fans waiting outside the studio unable to enter, with females making up nearly 90% of the crowd.
With such overwhelming popularity, Lee Min-ho's every smile and frown triggered near-roof-lifting screams. Before the show started, the staff encouraged fans to call out together for their idol to appear. After several shouts, the fans entered a state of excited screaming, catching the attention of all the staff members. Once the recording began, almost every move by Lee Min-ho was accompanied by loud screams, causing the entire studio to shake. Even drinking water on site sparked frenzied reactions among fans, leaving He Jiong puzzled, saying, "Have you never seen a man drink water? Or have you never seen such a handsome man drink water?"
The difficulty in obtaining tickets for this "Happy Camp" episode might be considered a record in the show's history. Besides He Jiong and Xie Na complaining about not getting tickets, many scalpers outside were struggling to acquire any resold tickets despite having cash in hand. Since noon, numerous scalpers had been roaming around the Hunan Radio and Television Center area, approaching passersby to buy tickets. The lowest price offered for each ticket was 1800 yuan, and the highest selling price reached nearly 5000 yuan per ticket, undoubtedly setting a new record. Even as the program began recording, many scalpers were still busy trying to buy tickets. One scalper, facing requests from fans, couldn't help but complain, "This time is really strange, money can't buy tickets."
