'Squid Game' Madness Reaches China Despite Netflix Shutdown

Merchandise, goodies and piracy: the planetary madness around the South Korean series

reaching China, where the blocking of Netflix does not prevent its popularity… thanks to illegal streaming sites.

The nine-part series features hundreds of characters competing in a children's game competition to win 45.6 billion won ($ 33 ​​million), but where the losers are killed.

Netflix is ​​not available in China.

But even if the American platform were,

would have little chance of falling through the scissors of Chinese censors due to its ultra-violence.

As is often the case with foreign productions, several Chinese websites, very easy to access, offer to watch the series (illegally) in streaming, contributing to its growing success in the country.

Soon the most popular series in Netflix history?

In recent weeks,

animating conversations on social networks, especially among young Chinese people who are often addicted to new technologies, to the point of becoming a small phenomenon. In Shanghai, a crowd now comes to take their picture in front of a new store selling “dalgona”, these crunchy sugar pancakes, emblematic of

where they are at the heart of a challenge to be taken up by the participants. "I had already seen one of these treats for sale on the Internet, but this is the first time I see one in real life", enthuses a customer.

"The pace of the series is rather fast and the plot is quite thrilling," said an audiovisual producer, who came to queue to buy "dalgona".

As soon as their pancakes are purchased, he and his friends film themselves taking up the challenge of the participants in the series: trying to cut out the shapes inscribed in the confectionery, all without breaking it.

is a success in more than 80 countries thanks to its polished production.

It is fast becoming the most popular series in Netflix history.

Chinese manufacturers, always responsive and on the lookout for trends, quickly scented the vein and responded to demand, both local and international.

"Our customers want to join the trend"

They now offer all kinds of merchandise on the massive online sales platform Taobao, including the bright pink hooded jumpsuits and the eerie masks of the anonymous guards of

One of the sellers, Peng Xiuyang, says his online store sales have jumped 30% thanks to the demand generated by the series. He had never heard of

until a customer asked him last month if he was selling the series' iconic black hoods, decorated with squares, triangles or circles.

“Our customers are the people who have seen the series and want to join the trend,” says Peng.

Illegal streaming of the series is now said to be so widespread ... that South Korea's ambassador to China himself, Jang Ha-sung, told a South Korean parliamentary committee that he had called on Chinese authorities to intervene.

"We estimate that

, which is growing in popularity around the world, is illegally distributed on about sixty websites in China," he said.

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