流星花園 Meteor Garden 3rd Year Anniversary

Taiwan, April 12, 2001 --- It was a Thursday, and at nine in the evening, CTS aired the pilot episode of Meteor Garden.

Adapted from a popular Japanese manga, Hana Yori Dango, this shoujo drama casted new actors and fresh faces under an up-and-coming production outfit, Comic.

The meteor hit.

Chinese entertainment, as we know it, has never been the same again.

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Meteor Garden got the full package; action, drama, comedy, and the modern-Cinderella formula combusted with a multi-angled romance. Not to mention the expensive cars, a five-star-hotel-like mansion, and a cruise liner, topped with trendsetting fashion and haircuts. Through its good-looking talented cast, who seem like they stepped out of the anime, they captured teen angst and essence. Their honest and upfront take on youth's attitudes, our lifestyles (well except for the money squandering, which only the likes of Paris Hilton can afford to do so in real life) and issues are dead-on. Despite the characters need for anger management and booze control, which young adults could relate to, viewers also can identify themselves to each different character. Even if we are accused of having a promiscuous young generation, Meteor Garden showed its cool to be a hard-working virgin; that its ok for a guy to remain inexperienced and be attractive; autistic kids grow up to be very perceptive people who you'd love to be on your side; the dating game is a risky business that can be very emotionally, and physically, brutal; and no matter what happens, true friends will always be there for you.
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We were introduced to zha tsao Shan Cai [Barbie Xu], a fiery lass who screams out her anger and frustrations on rooftops. "Piggy Four!!!!" Although from poverty, has eccentric parents, constantly hazed by her snotty elite schoolmates at Ying-de University, has bad luck with new friends, torn between two rich good-looking guys, and threatened by a powerful socialite, we are amazed that nothing breaks her wild grass spirit.
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The moment F4 stepped out of their luxury convertibles, they immediately stepped into our hearts. Arriving late on the first day of school doesn't matter to them. Why would it? Their families own the university. In traditional F4 fashion, the fab four took time to pose beside the mazda convertible in a trademark stance that's forever etched in our minds. As they say, that's the money shot. The four lead actors of Meteor Garden brought Hana Yori Dango's Flower Four to life. Whether you are six or sixty, F4 will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love with them.
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Dao Ming Si, played by Jerry Yan, is the spoiled rich brat feared by Ying-de students and faculty. With his impatient arrogance and naivete, it's difficult to believe he is the leader of F4. Until of course, you see his deadly stare and dangerous smirk, or the red tag in your locker. Inspite all that, his childlike charms, sexy dimples, and his "pineapple" hairdo endeared himself to us, and eventually to Shan Cai.
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And who cannot fall in love with Hua Ze Lei? Vic Chou could not have done a better job portraying Lei. His dreamy eyes [probably a result from his daily 15-hour sleep], coupled with his mysterious or simply weird personality, draw us to him. This barely-talking-violin-playing-cellphone-staring-Jing-obsessed-and-hang-out-at-rooftops guy made us kinder and understanding to autistics, as Lei once was, and probably still is. His enigma and perceptiveness never fails to mesmerize us. For us, he is F4's good guy; but for Lei, he is just the one who doesn't care about other people's business. He can give you a good advice about handstands though.
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Vanness Wu made Mei Zhou stand out. The hair, the clothes, the body [psst--hot!]....it's all working. Mei Zhou jokes around, teases his friends, sings to them, loves to dance (doesn't matter where, as long as he's feelin' a groove) and a regular in pubs, where the booze and girls are. And when I say regular, it means he knows the bartenders by their first names. Happy-go-lucky and carefree he might be, he's actually the glue that sticks the brotherhood of F4 together. The priority and importance Mei Zhou gives to F4's decades long friendship made us appreciate him so much.
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Ken Zhu's take on Xi Men is ingenious. At first impression, he is this preppy, serious-looking, intimidated by girls, the kind of guy you'd love to take home to your parents, right? Wrong. Xi Men is Taipei's ultimate playboy. He loves girls and girls love him even more. He is the guy that broke a thousand hearts with hisa one week policy with women. But doesn't stop the ladies from crawling at his feet. Can't blame them, for Xi Men is a romantic and a sweetheart. His smile alone can make a girl weak on her knees.
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Although Meteor Garden is composed mostly of new and never-heard-before actors, it undeniably has a powerhouse cast. Producers dug out gems not only with their main characters but also with their supporting cast like; Edward Ou [Chen Ching He], Rainie Yang [Xiao You], Winnie Qian [Tang Tang Jing] and Zhen Xie Zhen [Dao Ming Feng]. Meteor Garden jumpstarted the careers for many of its cast members and opened doors of opportunities for them after the series ended.
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When meteor rains, it falls; and it falls hard. Meteor Garden created waves of phenomenon in each and every country it landed on. From Taiwan, it moved on to Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. They were all hook, line and sinker. Will the Meteor Garden craze ever stop? Apparently not. The show expanded and was patronized in non-chinese speaking countries. On January 2003, Thailand was hit. The meteor impact was so wide-range and deeply intense.

If that wasn't incredible enough, get this: - By May 2003, Philippines; the third largest English-speaking country in the world, native language is Tagalog, has no exposure to Chinese drama series and their small screen entertainment whatsoever; has caught an epidemic more wide and faster spreading than SARS, the Meteor Fever. An average of 30 million Filipinos (wherein taiwan's population is 20 million) watch meteor garden religiously.

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The dynasty of Liu Xing Hua Yuan is not yet concluded. Currently, Meteor Garden is aired in Japan, home of Hana Yori Dango, where the drama series was based on. The land of the rising sun is also now the land of meteor stars.
So they conquered Asia, big whup. Well, hang-on to your seats. Due insistent public demand, a cable network, TFC [The Filipino Channel], with subscribers all over North America, Europe and the Middle East, is airing Meteor Garden starting April 5, 2004. Oh yes, we are converted to a "Meteor Planet."
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Even though with only nineteen episodes, Meteor Garden is the very first and the most successful running (or re-running) asian drama series ever, maintaning its popularity three years after it was first aired. It produced sequels Meteor Rain and Meteor Garden II. Still, fans could not get enough. Despite resistance of producers, fans are still requesting for season three, or even perhaps, a movie. But with or without another sequel, Meteor Garden continues to capture audiences from the rest of the world.

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The success of Meteor Garden is not just phenomenal; it's historical. Before, it was mostly American TV, like Dawson's Creek and Friends, that make it into the international market. Meteor Garden is the very first Chinese and Asian TV series that is becoming a worldwide success. It broke language barriers and went past cultural differences. Its cast, especially F4, helped promote Taiwan, paved the way for other Chinese artists and TV shows into other foreign markets, gave Chinese culture a cool image, and encouraged non-chinese speaking people to study mandarin. Meteor Garden set the trend in creating shoujo dramas, and other producers used the "meteor formula" in creating other TV series.

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The show also shot F4 to fame. They became an overnight sensation. Not since the Beatles we have seen a group with such influence to their fans and to the music industry. They made their own rules; they broke-out of the conventional bubble of boybands and redefined it. Though other groups were formed in hope to emulate F4, their achievements in less than three years since they started and up to now is still unsurpassed. They continue to soar and keep on raising the bar. In Meteor Garden, they were diamonds in the rough, and now they are shining through. F4 are pop legends. They are meteor stars that fell into and are forever embedded in the hearts of their audiences.

Meteor Garden wasn't just another teen drama; it's a revolution.

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This Meteor Garden Tribute Page is made by F4 Planet. We do not officially represent F4 or Meteor Garden. All images are owned by CTS and Comic. to relive Meteor Garden, click here.

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