The Next Big Hallyu Hit In China

"The Heirs" and "You Who Came From The Stars" were bigger hits in China than anyone expected.

"You Who Came From The Stars" had over two billion views in China, sparked government discussions about the future of Chinese entertainment and inspired such trends as eating the fried chicken and beer enjoyed by one of the show's characters. The drama, which starred Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun inspired an obsessive following.

Before that "The Heirs," starring Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye and Choi Jin Hyuk, had as many as one billion views on Youku, China's biggest video streaming site. Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye were already popular in China before "The Heirs" but the drama further boosted their popularity. Park Shin Hye plans to make several stops in China on her next world tour. Lee Min Ho was the only Korean actor invited to appear on a Chinese New Year television program. And he became the first Korean actor to have 20 million Weibo followers.

So, what's the next big k-drama hit in China? And will it be as big as either of those two successful dramas?

So far, the most popular k-drama of the moment is the action thriller "Three Days,'"starring Park Yoochun, Son Hyun Joo, So E Hyun and Park Ha Sun.

According to China's Youku, which holds the rights to the drama, it already had 180 million views as of this week. It had another 68 million views on the Tudou streaming site so that's a total of 240 million views nationwide.

"Three Days" earned the highest amount for any k-drama ever sold to China. It even beat out the price earned by "You Who Came From The Stars." Originally the Chinese market offered less than $10,000 per episode but the final price for "Three Days' was said to be five times higher. Experts attribute this to Park Yoochun's popularity.

All of Park Yoochun's previous dramas, "Rooftop Prince," "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and "Missing You" were also popular in China. And he was well known there even before he took his first acting role as a member of the group JYJ. In February 2013, Park was the only Korean artist invited to attend the Chinese Lantern Festival of Joy. And the television station sent a private jet to get him.

"Three Days" starts with the disappearance of Korea's president. The plot follows Park Yoochun's bodyguard character as he tries to unravel the mystery of that disappearance, his father's death, and secrets in the president's past.