These unbefitting actions were necessary for Barbie Hsu, known among her friends as “Her Majesty”, who was to play the lead role from high school years to adulthood. In the beginning, Barbie’s character had to endure many criticisms as a newbie in the industry, thus explaining the “torture” she was being put through despite her status as a superstar.

In addition, Barbie has a complicated relationship with both Peter Ho and Huang Xiao Ming vying for her love, a type of love which the female lead describes as suffocating and abusive.

In order to fulfill the depiction of the lead character as having beautiful black hair and smooth white skin, Barbie has also taken pains to maintain her fair complexion, ie carrying an umbrella during the breaks to block out harmful UV rays. Although both male leads laughed at her in the start, Peter Ho eventually joined her in the activity as the director complained that he was getting too tan for his role.

Source: China Times

As soon as you see San Cai’s rickety motorbike struggling along the grand driveway of Ying-De University amid the passing luxury cars of her snooty classmates, you will know instantly what made Meteor Garden the phenomenal TV series that it is today.

Meteor Garden is about the age-old conflict between the rich and the poor. It is a story of the poor struggling in different ways to survive in a world largely ruled by the rich, while the rich fights to keep the balance of power to protect themselves from the poor whom they perceive to want nothing more than to take everything away.

At the beginning, the story would seem like a two-dimensional labeling that rich people are the enemy and poor people are the heroes. However, as the story unfolds, you will realize that everyone is a product of their environment and the influences of people around them. It is when these influences and experiences conflict that one is forced to MAKE A CHOICE — and that choice decides one’s fate.

Fortunately, in Meteor Garden, the evolution of the characters was positively triumphant.

Meteor Garden presented all facets of each opposing side objectively. It presented their struggles and biases without making any excuses.

The story would have been a straightforward class conflict if only Dao Ming Si, leader of the notorious gang F4, did not meet the ONE person he would covet the most but can never ever have — the ONE who would shake him to the core and make him face his greatest conflict and force him to make a choice — the ONE enemy he needs to conquer…and the ONE he loves — the wild weed San Cai.

The Heroine (Shan Cai)

San Cai is a product of the working class. Her father is an average blue-collar employee with below average working skills. Her mother is a spirited woman who is focused in compensating the shortcomings of her husband by finding a better life for her family regardless of the means.

As you watch the unpretentious depiction of San Cai’s parents, you will see where San Cai got her values. Her father is definitely the source of her unguarded honesty and simplicity, while her mother is the source of her astute survival instincts and unrelenting fighting sprit.

In the course of the story, San Cai is constantly faced with situations that push her to decide which side of her she needs to be. When she decided to use restraint and be indifferent to the evils around her, she found that she was losing herself fast. Then one day, her moment of personal conflict suddenly played before her eyes, as she watched her friend Li Chen hitting her head hard on the wall after being violently pushed by the brusque and arrogant Dao Ming Si. At that moment, without any second thoughts, San Cai dropped all restraint and chose to let her true nature rise. She faced Dao Ming Si and without blinking, slapped the truth of his pretentious and purposeless existence right in his arrogant face:

“The parasites like you! How will you know about friendship? You are dogmatic who pretend that you’re great. The group F4 who plays bully at school, committing all manners of crimes! You are mainly the Piggy Four! — The parasites that hide under your old men! You have never made a cent or contributed to society! What gives you the right to swagger around and boast?”

And in the blink of an eye, her life was never the same again.

The F4 (Flower Four)

This band of four handsome and rich young men from the most affluent and powerful families barged in our senses in the grandest fashion. Burning the tires of their sports cars, they sped fearlessly along the driveway of Ying-De, stopping right in the middle as if to declare that they are the center of this universe and everything must orbit around them.

Dao Ming Si, Hua Tze Lei, Ximen Zhong Er Lang, and Mei Zhuo were all raised and bred the same way. It was natural that they would band together because only the four of them can understand the plight of the other. They share the same fate and they carry the same curse — they were all born with power and money but their lives have been decided for them. They can have every material thing they want, but they can never have the freedom to choose the life they want to live. This is the angst they carry.

Their life of excess has made them extremely insensitive to the lesser members of society. They don’t trust anyone beyond their tight circle because it has become a luxury to find others who would treat them with honesty. They know that everyone bows at their feet for no other reason but for their status and money.

Although they exploited their power, they were not always irrational. In fact, they live with the reality of their status.

As what Dao Ming Si said to the professor who accidentally hit him and spilled his drink on him, “You hit me. But, if you hit other students, will you apologize too?”

And just like the others who always apologize to Dao Ming Si in fear, Dao Ming Si would always say to them, “If apologies work, what do we need the police for?”

Dao Ming Si (Jerry Yan)’s angst is always expressed in anger. Of the four, he’s the most irrepressible about his rage and makes no qualms at inflicting physical punishment at anyone who adversely crosses his path. It is because of this physical manifestation of power that he is the leader of the F4. And because he’s so used to having his way all the time, he loses reason whenever someone tries to question him and F4’s tyrannical behavior. When this happens, no other rules apply but his.

With his reputation so well known to everyone, it was surprising that a wild weed from the working class like San Cai would stand up to him and make him realize how trivial and sugarcoated his power is. Attacking him at the very core of his trivial existence, Dao Ming Si was suddenly reduced to a non-entity. Little by little, his life was suddenly being defined by her existence that he found himself wanting to be with her more and more. For the first time, Dao Ming Si faced the greatest conflict of his life. And true to form, he bravely made his choice without fear of the physical punishment it carries.

Hua Tze Lei (Vic Zhuo) has the same angst as Dao Ming Si but he expresses it in less physical form. While Dao Ming Si is outwardly violent, Hua Tze Lei suffers his pain in silence and prefers to recede in his misery. He is a man who lives his life in quiet indulgence. When he’s happy, he suppresses it as well, as if keeping it inside will make the happiness linger.

Of the four, Hua Tze Lei is the most intuitive. He does not speak much, but when he speaks, his words carry the most profound answers to their questions. It is for this reason that Dao Ming Si defers only to Hua Tze Lei. In fact, he would always turn to Hua Tze Lei for clarity. It’s quite endearing whenever Dao Ming Si turns to his friend and asks, “Lei, what do you think?”, and Lei would always give his thumbs-down signal.

It is for this reason that when the two find themselves embroiled in an emotional tug-of-war for the same girl, the situation becomes more painful and tormenting. It’s because they know that there was once a time when their friendship came above all else. But now, for the first time in their brotherhood, their friendship is under the greatest test for the love of one woman. And this time, someone has to lose.

Ximen Zhong (Ken Zhu) Er Lang is probably the most romantic of the four. He chose to express his angst not by ungraceful violence or suppressive silence, but by mastering the art of beguiling people, especially women. In so doing, he appears to be the most confident around others because he has made it his personal business to master the human psyche as a way of protecting himself from being emotionally involved. For him, emotions bring nothing but pain and unlocking the mystery behind people keeps emotions at bay.

Although Ximen continues to convince himself that all women are the same and should be “expired” after a week, he takes great lengths in giving them the best and most pleasurable experience with him. He wines and dines them in elaborate settings giving them the utmost feeling of importance, then he drops the bomb by the end of the week making them hate him so much that it becomes easier for him to leave.

In doing this, it’s as if Ximen is indulging his demons and his conscience in perfect balance at the same time. It comes as no surprise therefore that among the four, he’s the most successful in business. It’s because he knows how to manage different kinds of people without getting emotionally involved… well, almost. But then even when he was faced with the love of his life in Xiao You, Ximen remained Ximen. Or did he?

Mei Zhuo (Vannes Wu) is the combination of everything that is positive among the other three. He has a little of everyone in him that makes him the most likeable of the F4. He has the physical agility of Dao Ming Si, the loyalty of Hua Tze Lei, and the suave of Ximen. He is the source of positive force of the F4. His presence provides a welcome relief from all the drama and conflict that surround their lives. It’s quite unusual therefore that with his personality, he’s the only one who did not have a love interest in Meteor Garden. But then the answer to this question is the very same reason why Hua Tze Lei’s relationships with women end in the manner that they do –

Bad boys are smitten with good girls. And good girls always fall for bad boys.

The Bite of San Cai

One thing irresistible about Meteor Garden is the way San Cai fights back at Dao Ming Si. It serves as the most effective foreplay to their unfolding love story. Here are some memorable scenes:

I. After earning the ire of Dao Ming Si and surviving a series of attacks from his cohorts, San Cai makes her own red tag and sticks it right on Dao Ming Si’s forehead and taunts him, “Piggy Four! Let me tell you, I’m not afraid of you! From now on, I’m declaring war against you!”

II. When Dao Ming Si sent goons to scare San Cai, and San Cai escaped with the help of Hua Tze Lei, San Cai retaliated by going up to him the following day and punching him squarely on the face and tells him, “You’re a big asshole! Are you a man or not? You dare to do something like this! Shame on you!”

III. When Dao Ming Si kidnapped San Cai and offered her money to be his woman, San Cai spurned his offer by saying, “I feel very happy because this proves that you’ve become an idiot!” She unceremoniously dumped him right there and then by saying, “You can’t buy me no matter how much money you spend!”

IV. When Dao Ming Si saved San Cai from two mean girls at school who were telling her that she doesn’t deserve Hua Tze Lei, San Cai took out her frustration on Dao Ming Si and spewed at him, “Go away! Who do you think got me into this mess? You idiot!” And when Dao Ming Si argued that he is the most perfect man, San Cai exploded, “Perfect? You? Perfect? I hate your stupidity! I hate your fish eyes! I hate your conceitedness! I hate everything about you! You’re the kind of person that everybody hates in those psyche tests! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

After her tirade, you know instantly that San Cai is just a hairline away from crossing over to loving Dao Ming Si. For one thing, you don’t waste that many words to describe someone if you don’t think of him too often.

V. When Li Chen set up San Cai with incriminating photos, Dao Ming Si, in his jealous fit, believed in the photos instead of San Cai. He abandoned her and she was left facing the school mob, which beat her up to a pulp. In spite of her wounds, she relentlessly fought back saying, “I can’t be beaten by you weak rich boys! You know what? Mosquitoes sting harder than you!” After this, she was beaten over and over until she fainted.

VI. As San Cai and Dao Ming Si’s love unfolds, San Cai’s character becomes stronger. Her most defining moment came during Dao Ming Si’s birthday party, when she was forced to play the piano to prove that she belonged in his class. She banged violently at the keyboard and for a few moments, you would feel that she has made a total fool of herself it would be impossible to recover from it. Then suddenly, she started playing the piano with expert ease while she recited a poem about a woman who was consumed by power and greed that she lost her soul.

When she finished, she stood up and looked them straight in the eye and said, “Can the value of a man’s soul be determined by whether he can play the piano? Or the family he grew up with? Or the brands he bears? So what if they can play the piano? Let me tell you this, I only know how to play one song. So what?”

It was at this moment that Dao Ming Si realized that he has found his destiny.

The Passion of Dao Ming Si

Dao Ming Si’s triumphs can be attributed to his transformation from being an oaf to being just half an oaf. Humanizing him took all 19 episodes to complete. Here are his triumphs at transformation:

I. When Dao Ming Si found out that San Cai was regularly meeting with Hua Tze Lei at the roof, he lost all rational thought and wanted nothing but to physically conquer her. He almost succeeded, but he suddenly heard San Cai’s cries and restrained himself.

II. On their first date, when Dao Ming Si waited for San Cai for four long hours under the pouring rain, you could feel his rage as he yelled at her, “You could have called me! I don’t have your number! How do I know if you were coming or not? What if you got hurt on the way?” And then you will realize that his torment came from the fear that San Cai might have been harmed.

III. When Dao Ming Si came back to save San Cai from the school mob after he abandoned her, he wept when he saw how badly beaten-up she was. He scooped her in his arms and vowed to her, “I’ll believe you, if you say you didn’t do it…”. He then took her to his home in his bedroom and kissed her in way that made me scratch my DVD from rewinding too much. The following morning, Dao Ming Si avenged San Cai by turning his wrath on those who beat her. He beat them up in exactly the same way they hurt her.

IV. During the basketball game that was to decide whether San Cai and Hua Tze Lei would be expelled, Dao Ming Si saw San Cai’s face and realized that he couldn’t live a day in Ying-De without her. Without any second thoughts, he immediately stopped the game and walked away.

V. During a heated confrontation with San Cai at school, after Dao Ming Si saw San Cai talking to a co-worker at the burger joint she worked in, San Cai decided to severe all ties with Dao Ming Si to end her burdens. Desperate to keep her, Dao Ming Si spoke his heart out, “I like you. I like you so much that even I think it’s insane. In my eyes, I can only see you. San Cai, I know I’m very annoying. But I want you to know, if you run away, I will go after you, no matter where. Even if it is hell, even if you run to the edge of the world, I will be there. I want you to know one thing, I want you.”

Dao Ming Si would later live up to his words when he rescued San Cai from her abductors and let himself be beaten-up to near death to ensure her safety.

The Love of Hua Tze Lei

Hua Tze Lei’s profound love for San Cai developed over time. It was a slow progress and it seemed to deepen as San Cai’s suffering increased. There are times when Hua Tze Lei’s love seemed to thrive by the need to save San Cai. And that’s why whenever San Cai finds her moment of peace with Dao Ming Si, Hua Tze Lei willingly gives way and lets her go. This could be because Hua Tze Lei can’t find his purpose in San Cai’s life when he’s not saving her.

It will be recalled that when there were no obstacles between Hua Tze Lei and San Cai, the two could not seem to find a common ground. When they went out on a date, they could not even start a decent conversation going, and worse — Hua Tze Lei slept! This is in stark contrast to the times when San Cai needed a shoulder to cry on over her difficult relationship with Dao Ming Si and Hua Tze Lei always had the right words to say to her to soothe her pain.

Could it be that Hua Tze Lei sees himself in San Cai whenever she’s in pain? It’s as if her pain mirrors his own with Teng Tang Chin, and saving her alleviates the pain he feels for his own lost love.

Hua Tze Lei’s love for San Cai transcends the physical. When Dao Ming Feng, mother of Dao Ming Si, asked Hua Tze Lei to pursue San Cai again, Hua Tze Lei turned her down by saying, “I will always be the good friend that watches over her for the rest of my life”, as if to tell Dao Ming Feng that his love for San Cai has nothing to do with being with her, and if Dao Ming Feng tries to hurt San Cai, he will protect San Cai no matter whom he crosses.

It was because of Hua Tze Lei’s orchestration that Dao Ming Si found back his strength to face his love for San Cai. In the end, when Dao Ming Si did not give up, Hua Tze Lei finally let go of San Cai. Seeing that the love between Dao Ming Si and San Cai endured through all its trials seemed to give Hua Tze Lei a sense of hope for his own love.

Burning

From the very beginning, Dao Ming Si and San Cai’s relationship was built on passion. It is their fire that made the romance between two people from distant classes seems so plausible. No matter how much obstacle came between them, they just kept fighting it that at some point it makes one wonder if that’s the price they have to pay for defying the “rules” of their classes and insisting to be together.

When San Cai lost her apartment after Dao Ming Feng bought it out from its owners, Dao Ming Si did not stop until he found her. It’s one of the most touching scenes in Meteor Garden that displayed how relentless Dao Ming Si’s love is for San Cai.

When San Cai left and went to the fishing village, Dao Ming Si’s emotional breakdown was heart wrenching. It was as if he lost all sense of self when he lost San Cai. Dao Ming Si’s words summed up how much he was willing to give up for San Cai when he said, “I didn’t let myself sink deeper, because I never came out of it at all. I just realized, if I lose San Cai, then I might not even have the strength to breath.”

Their adjustment period was amusing because Dao Ming Si was forced in more than one occasion to adjust to San Cai’s way of life, like, eating food not cooked by his palace chefs, going to amusement parks, and living in rickety apartments just to be close to San Cai and be there to protect her. It was such a tender scene when Dao Ming Si would peek into San Cai’s apartment in the middle of the night just to see if she’s safe.

The most crucial test of their love came when Dao Ming Feng made her final bid to separate them by abducting her own son and sedating him until he submits. Even at the moment of his own crisis, Dao Ming Si could only think about San Cai’s safety when he said to his abductors, “I am warning you, whatever you do, don’t you dare touch San Cai. Otherwise, I will kill you.”

All throughout their troubled relationship, Dao Ming Si didn’t care about anyone else but San Cai. He was focused on just the two of them, not caring who he hurts. It was San Cai who was concerned about other people’s feelings. But when the time came for both of them to stand up for each other, they did.

Dao Ming Si, in his weakest state, tearfully told San Cai at the door, “Why give up? If I can give up, the first time we broke up, I would have given up already. I don’t even want to think about it.” And in the final proof of his true character, Dao Ming Si vowed to San Cai, “We will be together.”

For the first time, Dao Ming Si and San Cai were truly one. When San Cai decided to be with Dao Ming Si, it was as if she was reciting her vows at the altar when she said, “I will stay with him. If he doesn’t eat, then I won’t eat. If he doesn’t come out, then I will wait for him. I was never like what I am now…so clear about what I want to do. I will wait until he comes out.”

More than anything, Meteor Garden is not just about the triumph of love. It is about the triumph of the human spirit. Love can exist between and among people who are not together, just like the love of Hua Tze Lei for San Cai. But the human spirit is what makes people take that leap of faith and believe that if they want it bad enough, they can fly.

Article written by: d6sense
Website: www.asosonline.com