Getting up close and personal with F4

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.