Barbie Hsu, Meteor Garden’s ‘Shan Cai,’ dies of flu at 48
Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu, who became a household name in the Philippines and many parts of Asia for her role as “Shan Cai” in the 2001 drama “Meteor Garden,” died on Sunday after contracting pneumonia while on a family vacation in Japan, her sister said on Monday.
“My dearest and most kindhearted sister Barbie Hsu died of influenza-induced pneumonia and unfortunately left us,” Dee Hsu said in a statement.
“I was grateful to be her sister in this life and that we got to care for and spend time with each other. I will always be grateful to her and miss her!” she added.
The sisters first found fame with their pop group S.O.S, but Hsu’s leading role in the romantic Taiwanese soap Meteor Garden cemented her popularity.
She was married to Korean rapper Koo Jun-yup “DJ Koo” for nearly three years after ending an 11-year marriage with Chinese entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei. She is survived by two children.
In the Philippines, Hsu captured the imagination of millions of Filipinos as they followed her character’s story in Meteor Garden as the poor girl who made two rich boys, who belonged to the quartet F4, fall in love with her.
While the nation was divided between her two love interests “Dao Ming Si” and “Hua Ze Lei,” played by Jerry Yan and Vic Zhou, respectively, everybody rooted for Shan Cai.
To this day, the characters in Meteor Garden remain fixtures in Filipino pop culture.
Hsu visited the Philippines a number of times at the height of her popularity.
On Sept. 13, 2003, Hsu and her sister, together with F4’s Ken Chu and Vanness Wu, held their “The Event” concert at the Philsports (Ultra) Football Field in Pasig City, then one of the biggest venues in the country.
They returned to the country a month later, on Oct. 31, 2003, this time with Yan and Vic Zhou, to complete the F4, for ABS CBN’s “Happy 50 TV” concert held at The Fort Concert Grounds in Taguig City.
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In January 2004, she flew to Manila for a press conference to promote a shampoo brand, but she stayed for only six hours.
Hsu starred in many films and television series following Meteor Garden. In 2012, she won best actress at the Macau International Movie Festival for the film “Croczilla.”
The high public interest in Hsu led fans to follow her love life closely. She reportedly dated her Meteor Garden costar Zhou for two years before they broke up amicably in 2008. —WITH REPORTS FROM REUTERS AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
