Chinese Actor Claims "Gat Originated in China and Spread to Korea, etc."... Sparks Debate

Actors wearing traditional Korean hats in the Chinese drama 'Ilpyeonbingsimjaeokho' (Photo by 'Ilpyeonbingsimjaeokho' still)

Chinese actor Wu Xize's post on Weibo (Photo by Wu Xize)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] A famous Chinese actor has posted a claim that the origin of the gat (traditional Korean hat) is China, reigniting the 'origin dispute' between Korea and China following kimchi and hanbok.

Wu Xize (25), an actor who appeared in the drama "Meteor Garden," wrote on his Weibo (Chinese version of Twitter) account on the 3rd that the gat "originated in our country (China) and spread to other countries," adding, "I cannot stand to see traditional culture being misunderstood." He did not provide detailed evidence to support this claim.

It is known that Wu Xize posted this statement to refute a netizen who, after watching a Chinese historical drama featuring hats similar in shape to Korea's gat, posted a screenshot with a comment in Chinese saying, "This hat resembles an ancient Korean hat."