Getting up close and personal with F4

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Welcome to Indonesia F4! Fanatical fans would undoubtedly already be familiar with the fabulous foursome, but for those just discovering their magic, here are some of their more captivating traits:

Jerry Yan (Yan Cheng Xu)

In the TV drama Meteor Garden Yan plays the leader of F4, Dao Ming Si, spoilt heir of the Dao Ming conglomerate. Unlike A-Si's famous outbursts of anger, in life, the 26-year-old is shy and quiet.

Probably the least talented in singing and dancing, Yan's strongest attribute is his acting skills, which he shows most convincingly in the Meteor Garden series and Love Scar with Karen Mok.

Raised by a single mother, Yan had to work for a living at an early age and as consequence was forced to drop out of college. He started modeling in his school days and gained attention after winning the Taiwanese magazine Men's Uno model competition in 1998.

Yan starred in many commercials before being cast for Meteor Garden, and last year he released his own pictorial book titled Amphibian.

A hardworker, Yan is known to employ strict discipline in his work. Moody and unusually quiet when tired, this does not stop him from rehearsing and working hard, and for this he is respected by his colleagues. Yan's steadfastness earned him the nickname Bao Long (violent dragon).

In an interview with Bintang Asia, Yan said all he wanted was a quiet, simple life close to nature.

Vic Zhou (Zhou Yu Ming)

Zhou, affectionately known as Zai Zai, is the youngest of the four. Similar to Yan, Zai Zai is quiet and shy, not unlike his character in Meteor Garden.

Born on June 9, 1981, Zai Zai was a mechanical engineering student before acting as the sensitive Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden. He was accompanying a friend to the show's audition when the casting director noticed his good looks.

Zai Zai's rocketing fame as an actor and then a singer forced him to abandon his time-consuming studies in engineering, and has now switched to economics.

Usually the quiet one, at first Zai Zai was annoyed with the consequences of his fame, finding it disturbing when female fans stalked him at his campus to get a glimpse of him.

But now, with several TV drama series and an album under his belt, he is taking it all in stride. Zai Zai even launched his own pictorial book late last year.

Besides the two Meteor Garden series, Zai Zai also played in Poor Prince; Idol Boy, and released a solo album Make A Wish last year.

Vanness Wu (Wu Jian Hao)

The hyper-energetic member of the group, Wu was a born entertainer. He's probably the most talented singer and dancer in F4 and, has the best biceps.

Born and raised in the United States, this 24-year-old American citizen came back to his native Taiwan to check out the entertainment scene there.

He failed in the audition for MTV Asia's video jockey (VJ) and was only noticed by Meteor Garden's producers when he joined Super Sunday's YMCA segment -- a male talent contest-cum-pageant.

Wu plays Meizuo, a minor character in the foursome, but his talent for song and dance shone through when he released his solo album Body Will Sing with Sony Music late last year. An apt title for a guy who couldn't stop moving and dancing.

His limited Chinese has probably hindered him from getting more dominating roles, but its marked improvement earned Wu -- and Meizuo -- more script lines in the second installment of Meteor Garden.

Ken Zhu (Zhu Xiao Tian)

Zhu's down-to-earth personality is what draws most fans to this member of F4, who will be having his 24th birthday on Jan. 15.

"I pity most the girl who wants to go steady with a member of F4," he once said referring to the group's hectic lifestyle, wisely reminding fans that in their love for the group, they should not forget to love others around them.

Growing up in Singapore, Zhu is the other member, besides Wu, who can speak fluent English. His sunny disposition and easy laugh earned him many friends, including the affection of the other three.

Zhu was discovered by the producers of Meteor Garden while working as head waiter at a Japanese barbecue restaurant. He was cast as Ximen, the playboy, a role which he played only passably due to the weakness of Ximen's character.

He claimed to have wanted the role of Hua Ze Lei because it did not involve a lot of talking and was "cool".

However, in his next drama Orange Boy -- adapted from Japanese manga Marmalade Boy -- Zhu shines as the fun-loving, easygoing Song Bu You.

He is due to release his solo album with Sony Music later this year.