MANILA, Philippines – Barbie Hsu’s death was confirmed by her family to the Taiwanese media on Monday, February 3. The star had a career spanning around three decades.
The death of Hsu, whose Chinese name is Hsi Yuan Hsu, is mourned not only by Taiwanese people, but by Filipinos, too — given the rise of the 2001 hit TV series Meteor Garden in the Philippines. It was this very show that propelled her to fame beyond Taiwan.
But that’s not the only thing she was known for. With that, let’s take a look back on the Taiwanese star’s life, from her time as an actress, singer, and TV host, to her personal life.
A pop singer
In 1994, Hsu debuted as a member of the pop duo S.O.S alongside her little sister Dee. They released one song together, the upbeat “10 Minutes of Love.” The sibling tandem later renamed themselves to A.S.O.S after facing contractual issues with their label.
TV hosting
Alongside Dee, Hsu went on to host the variety show Guess from 1996 to 2000. It mainly revolved around two segments that required celebrity guests to make guesses about the groups of people who would be invited to the show.
She began to host more TV shows in the following years, such as 100% Entertainment, Gourmet Secrets of the Stars, Let’s Dance, Miss Beauty, and most recently, We Are True Friends from 2019.
Life as an actress
Hsu got her first big break as an actress when she landed the lead role of Dong Shan Cai in the 2001 romance-drama TV series Meteor Garden. The show was the first-ever live adaptation of the Japanese manga series Hana Yori Dango or Boys Over Flowers. The Taiwanese drama follows a poor teenager named Dong Shan Cai, who finds herself studying at a high school for the rich.
There, she meets F4, a group of handsome and wealthy boys who essentially rule the school, thanks to the red cards they distribute to the students who do things to upset them even in the slightest. When her friend receives a card from the group’s arrogant leader Dao Ming Si, Shan Cai takes it upon herself to defend her friend, making her F4’s newest target.
While Shan Cai is initially attracted to Hua Ze Lei, the more reserved member of F4, she and Dao Ming Si eventually end up together.
In 2002, the show later returned for a second season, which told the love story of Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si, and the latter’s quest to remember her after he figured in a car accident that impacted his memory.
The Filipino dub of this series aired in the Philippines in 2003 on ABS-CBN, and gained massive popularity among Filipino viewers. Filipinos tuned in to the series almost religiously, and even sang along to some of F4’s greatest hits, like “Can’t Lose You.”
From then until 2010, Hsu starred in more TV series, such as The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra, Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story, Mars, Phantom Lover, Say Yes Enterprise, Corner with Love, and lastly, Summer’s Desire.
Hsu also had a fairly active movie career, showcasing her acting chops in the films The Ghost Inside, Silk, Connected, My So-Called Love, On His Majesty’s Secret Service, Hot Summer Days, Future X-Cops, Adventure of the King, Reign of Assassins, My Kingdom, Croczilla, and Motorway between 2005 and 2012.
Published author
Hsu was also a published author, putting out a total of four books ranging from poetry to beauty: Barbie Essence (2003), Beauty King (Mei Rong Da Wang; 2004), Penny Dreadful (2005), and Mei Rong Da Wang II (2007).
Personal life
Hsu dated her Meteor Garden II and Summer’s Desire co-star Blackie Chen for seven years. Even after they parted ways, though, the two appeared to still keep in touch, as Chen posted a group photo with Hsu at a wedding in January. They also followed each other on Instagram.
After her relationship with Chen, she dated DJ and music producer Koo Jun-yup from 1998 to 2000. She was also romantically tied to Taiwanese actor Lan Cheng-lung (Blue Lan) and her Meteor Garden co-star Vic Chou.
In Meteor Garden, Chou played Hua Ze Lei, while Hsu portrayed Dong Shan Cai. The series saw Dong Shan Cai’s attraction start with Hua Ze Lei, a member of F4, the school’s popular group of boys who each come from rich families.
Hsu later married Chinese businessman Wang Xiaofei in 2010. They shared two kids, a son and a daughter, before eventually filing for a divorce in 2021.
Hsu then rekindled her romance with Koo, when the latter found out she was going through a divorce. Koo shared that he tried his luck by contacting her through her number from 20 years ago. She responded, and they eventually reconnected. They wed shortly after in 2022, just around four months after Hsu’s divorce from Wang.
“We have lost too much time together so I proposed marriage and Barbie finally agreed. After registering our marriage, we shall live together. I’m marrying late in life and I hope to receive everyone’s love and support,” Koo wrote.
In the same year, Koo and Hsu appeared on the cover of Vogue Taiwan together to chart their love story.
Hsu is survived by her daughter, son, and husband. – Rappler.com