(Still from "Descendants of the Sun")

Actor Song Joong-ki ranked first on China’s most-loved celebrity list, according to data analysis firm VLinkage.

VLinkage unveiled the final rankings based on its database VBank on Sunday.

Song steadily rose in the rankings through the week, placing 8th on Tuesday, 3rd on Wednesday, and finally took the top spot Saturday.

His sudden fame in China is attributed to the rising popularity of the KBS drama series “Descendants of the Sun.”

The drama airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 9 p.m. local time and is only available through China‘s streaming website iQIY. The first four episodes have garnered more than 200 million views so far, heightening the reputation of K-drama.

(Still from "Descendants of the Sun")

Thanks to the drama, Song has even outpaced Park Hae-jin, one of the most-loved Korean actors, who has been receiving tremendous attention in China.

Park ranked fifth place on the list, with other Korean celebrities including Song Hye-kyo (4th) also making it to the list.

By Kim Ji-young (christinekim@heraldcorp.com)