Meteor Garden and F4 Celebrate 20TH Anniversary! Will There Be a Reunion?

In April 2001, an idol series, which is now considered classic, Meteor Garden, premiered on Taiwanese television. In what was only believed to be a typical idol drama of adolescence born out of a Japanese manga series, turned out to be a phenomenon popular to all demographic.

By 2003,  Meteor Garden had taken  Asia by storm. 

The massive success of this series provided Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Barbie Hsu, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu a meteoric rise to superstardom heights. And they became household names all over Asia.

It also gave birth to the idol band, F4 (Flower 4) composed of the four male leads, and they became the hottest artists in the concert stage. 

Meteor Garden casts

This year, the series, and F4 celebrate its 20th anniversary in the showbiz industry. Two decades! Ouch. Feeling old just yet? 😂 

The timeless influence of Meteor Garden

Oh yes! Time flies so really fast. 

Though they are memories now. The series undeniably helped defined the way we viewed Asian idols. In Philippine television before Meteor Garden, the trend was Latin soap opera. Asian drama was not part of our television watchlist.

The Meteor Garden phenomenon helped us steer back to our Asian roots and taught us to appreciate Asian series. It eventually paved the way for the popularity of Asianovela in the Asian region and in the global stage.

Two decades on, it is still Asia's most unforgettable idol series and its impact in the Asian drama across the region is still unmatched. The effect is still very different. 

Ken Chu, Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu and Vic Zhou known as F4

Now, as the group celebrates an extraordinary milestone, I'm feelin the old dust of craziness-fangirling-moment over idol series has returned. 

Maybe because it helped brought back happy memories of my younger self, swooning hard over television heartthrobs. And the feel-good moments of never really thought of life as a complex thing.

It's just so good to recapture all those good-old-feelings of screaming and giggling over screen idols, it makes me forget the terrible world today.

And there's only one memory of the past that still makes me giddy today when I think about TV series. And all those hooking time in front of television. The phenomenal Meteor Garden/F4.

The Meteor Garden phenomenon

This Taiwanese idol series made its way to Philippine television via ABS-CBN in May 2003, however, it premiered in Taiwan television in April 2001.

Meteor Garden is based on the Japanese manga series, Boys Over Flower written by Yoko Kamio. Produced for television in Taiwan by Comic Ritz International Production. 

However, the Meteor Garden season 2 is an entirely original series and not based on the Japanese manga. It was inspired by the meteoric rise of its season one in Asian television.

It became massively popular in the Asian region and barging into the different facts of demographic line. It also spawned many versions of the series, most notably, Boys Over Flowers in South Korea relreased in 2009, and Meteor Garden in China released in 2018.

The series popularity molded the heartthrob status of F4, and there seemed always have a riot among their fans wherever they went. 

Will there be a reunion?

F4 amassed a huge success after the Meteor Garden fever. 

At the height of their popularity, they released three studio albums under Sony Music Taiwan. Meteor Rain in 2001, Fantasy 4ever in 2002 and Waiting For You in 2007, the same year the group changed its name to JVKV (initials of their first names) due to copyright issue of Flower 4.

F4: Vanness Wu, Jerry Yan, Ken Chu and Vic Zhou

However, they had not been active as a group since 2009. 

They launched a solo career, both in acting and recording. While Zaizai (Vic Chou or Zhou Yumin) continued to make music, he eventually concentrated on films and TV series. 

Jerry Yan also made movies, drama series and modeling, Ken Chu is taking hiatus in singing to become a film director, and Vanness Wu ventured into hosting and producing.

Their last live performance as a group was in 2013 in Jiangsu TV. Although they performed in October 2020 for 1001 Night Festival of Jiangsu TV, only Vanness Wu was actually on the physical venue. Jerry, Vic and Ken were only CGI-ed. 

So there's so much anticipation from their legion of fans to see them together on stage again performing as a group. And this year might be possible to mark their 20th anniversary.

In January this year, Vic Zhou was interviewed during the promo of his latest TV series, Danger Zone, if there's a possible reunion of F4 to nark such extraordinary milestone.

He seemed giving loyal fans a ray of hope.

Hoping for a possible F4 reunion concert this year!

"We talked about this a couple of years ago but we didn’t decide on anything. It might be a little troublesome depending on how we plan it. F4 is an idol group so we’ll need to look the part if we do have a reunion. We’ll need to know what the current trends are for boy groups in terms of hair, outfits and so on. If [the other three members] want to do it, I’ll cooperate with them too.” - Vic Chou/Zou Yumin

The cast members, where are they now?

After the Meteor Garden fever, F4 continued to perform in films, TV series and became a household name in recording. 

However, since 2009 they became inactive as a group as both concentrated on respective solo careers. But fans are eagerly anticipating for a possible reunion. After all these years, F4 still draws giggles from their massive fan base all over Asia. 

The boys seem a hard time getting out of their Meteor Garden image, and whatever they do, people are still comparing them to their Meteor Garden characters. 

There's always a massive expectation that their latest projects will outperform, if not, match the level of success reaped by Meteor Garden. Something that seems tough to live up.

Jerry Yan (Dao Ming Si)

In most of his press interviews, Jerry seems a very soft-spoken man and accommodating. And still smokin hot at 44. Once, he was asked what's his secret on his very youthful look. He seems has not aged since his Meteor Garden days.

His reply: "I try my best to stay happy. I don't use my mobile phone much so I am not affected by what people are saying about me online. I lead a simple life, and try to pick up a new skill to enrich myself"

Jerry Yan

After Meteor Garden, Jerry appeared in several TV drama series and in 2006 appeared in the critically-acclaimed Taiwanese medical drama, The Hospital.

He released his first solo album in 2004, Jerry For You, which was awarded as one of the "Top 10 Selling Mandarin Albums of the Year" at the IFPI Hongkong Sales Awards.

He has not been active in acting and singing until 2020 when he starred in a hit series, Count Your Lucky Stars, opposite Shen Yue, the actress who played Shancai in the Chinese version of Meteor Garden in 2018.

Among the Meteor Garden primary casts, it's Jerry who has not yet married. After his relationship with Taiwanese celebrity, Lin Chi-Ling, ended, Jerry became discreet with his romantic involvement.

In an interview with 8days.org, Jerry revealed he finds it hard to meet girls. Coming from one of the most eligible bachelors in Asia? That's quite hard to fathom. 😄

Vic Zhou

Among the F4 members, Zaizai seems the one who is experiencing a better fortune in career. In 2002, he became the first F4 member to release a solo album, Make A Wish.

After Meteor Garden he became busy making films and TV series and gradually moved out of the idol mainstream drama, taking more serious roles.

Vic Zhou

He earned his first acting nomination in Black and White in 2009 but eventually won Best Actor in the 2013 Golden Bell Awards for his role in Coming Home.

In 2005, he and his Meteor Garden and Mars co-star, Barbie Hsu, were in a romantic relationship and their legion of fans were anticipating a happy-ending but in early 2008 they announced their separation. Ouch!

Zaizai married Taiwanese actress, Reen Yu whom he met in Black and White, in November 2015 and on the following year, August, his wife gave birth to their daughter. One of the reasons why he was not able to attend the wedding of F4 fellow member, Ken Chu, in Bali, Indonesia. 

Vic Zhou and Barbie Hsu in Mars
Vic Zhou and Dilraba Dilmurat in The Flame's Daughter

His most recent TV drama appearances, The Flame's Daughter and Palace of Devotion, are all produced in China. He will appear in Danger Zone this year, playing three complex characters, after nine-year hiatus in Taiwanese television. 

Zaizai is the youngest among the F4. He was born on June 9, 1981. He revealed once he loved Fried pork rice and Curry rice. He is also the only F4 member who has a child.

Barbie Hsu

I was shipping hard ViBie loveteam during Meteor Garden days. They looked so incredibly great together. And so I was over the moon when I learned they became an item in 2005 after they worked together in a psychological drama - MARS. 

When they broke up in 2008, my ship shattered. I was hoping she still could reconcile with Zaizai but all hopes were dashed when she married a Chinese businessman in November 2010. Arggh!

Barbie Hsu

After Meteor Garden Barbie starred in a number of films and TV drama and became a TV host and a watch luxury brand endorser. 

However, since 2012 she had not heard having acting projects. She also became inactive in recording but occasionally done TV hosting in Taiwan. 

Barbie has one daughter and one son with her husband, Wang Xiaofei.

Ken Chu

The guy who played Xi Men in Meteor Garden speaks English very well, just like Vanness Wu. This is because Ken attended school in Singapore.

He released his first solo album in 2005, On Ken's Time. 

In 2003, he starred in a Taiwanese idol drama, Love Storm, which reunited him with Vic Zhou. It also starred Vanness's rumored girlfriend at that time, Vivian Hsu. 

Ken Chu on his wedding day to Han Wen Wen attended by his F4 co-members: 
Jerry Yan and Vanness Wu

Ken has not been active in acting or recording in recent years. Reports had it that he is studying Film directing. 

He married Chinese actress, Han Wen Wen/Vivien Han on September 3, 2016 in the island of Bali, Indonesia. 

The wedding was attended by two of his F4 co-members: Jerry Yan and Vanness Wu. Zaizai was unable to attend the ceremony because his wife had just given birth to their daughter.

Ken lately became interested in pastry and revealed he has been learning to make bread and plan to open a bakery with his sister in Taiwan.

He also revealed that he might not having a kid with his wife and he is suffering from fibromyalgia, an hereditary illness that causes pain and fatigue and he is worried he might pass it to his future children.

"We just want to enjoy our time as a couple and might consider adoption", he said. He also gained weight due to medication.

Vanness Wu

It appeared that among the F4, Vanness comes out as the multi-talented artist. After Meteor Garden, he appeared in several TV series and films. 

He starred in Autumn's Concerto, one of the highest Taiwanese idol series, in 2009. He also became the second member of F4 to release a solo album in 2002, Body Will Sing. 

Vanness Wu

He was featured in Beyonce's Crazy In Love music video in 2003 and in 2006, he collaborated with Korean singer, Kangta, and released an album as a singing duo, Scandal.

He also ventured successfully into directing, producing and hosting. He became an executive producer for the television series, Year of the Rain.

In 2015, Vanness became one of the judges of the first season of Asia's Got Talent. He is also blessed with a great breakdance talent, which he often documented in his social media account.

On November 14, 2013, Vanness became the second cast of Meteor Garden, after Barbie Hsu, to get married. 

He wed his longtime girlfriend, Arissa Cheo, a Singaporean entrepreneur, in Los Angeles. But less than five years later, in June 2018, the marriage ended in divorce.

Vanness was born and raised in Sta. Monica, California and fluent both in Mandarin and English.

Are they still seeing each other?

Asking if the four dude are occasionally seeing each other after becoming inactive as a group? The answer is yes. In fact, before the pandemic halted our mobility in 2020, the group had a happy-get-together.

Ken Chu, Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu and Vic Zho in 2001
Same position but photos in recent times

According to Jerry Yan's interview with 8days.org in 2019:

"We do, once in a long while. We don't meet up that often because we're all very busy, but the four of us went to Vanness's place a few months ago to eat and chat. We'd catch up with one another on what's going on in our lives. Zaizai has a daughter now, so we're especially concerned about him and his family. He'd tell us all about fatherhood and how he takes care of his kid".

F4 last live performance as a group - 2013

Happy 20th Anniversary Meteor Garden and F4!

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