A Stalker's Guide to Mark Chao
Some of you may know him as Dao Ming Si from Meteor Garden - the pineapple-haired leader of F4, while some of you may not know him at all and just decided to click this article out of curiosity or boredom. It all started when a phenomenon called "Meteor Fever" took over my country by storm as a local channel aired Meteor Garden. I was only 8 at that time. I didn't notice Jerry Yan or his role for that matter since I was in love with Vic Zhou's Hua Ze Lei. I also didn't care that Jerry came to my country thrice but of course I'm regretting everything now (haha!).
It was the summer of 2014 when the same local channel decided to re-air Meteor Garden and ruin my life in the process. I suddenly fell in love with Jerry's Dao Ming Si which made me want to watch everything he has starred in. If you want to know how extreme my fangirling has become, I impulsively booked a flight to Taiwan with my sister after watching some of his dramas! Of course I didn't see him but I was able to buy a poster and a pillow with his beautiful face on it. So I can still say," Mission accomplished!" ;)
So here are some of his dramas and films that you may want to watch:
DRAMAS
Meteor Garden (2001),
Meteor Rain (2001),
and Meteor Garden 2 (2002)
Many drama-watchers, especially in my country, can probably attest that no other Asian drama has conquered the continent by storm ever since this mother of Taiwanese idol dramas was introduced.
First time I watched it was back when I was in 2nd grade (I was just 8!) and I can still clearly remember that I was in love Vic Zhou's Hua Ze Lei, but this article is not obviously about him. I never cared about Jerry Yan's Dao Ming Si until a local channel re-aired it again a decade after its first première. Joining the bandwagon, I watched this drama again and found myself falling for Dao Ming Si. I re-watched both seasons of Meteor Garden and Meteor Rain for 6 straight nights. There was never a night that I didn't cry because of Dao MIng Si and Shancai's classic love story.
Although I never watched any other versions of Hana Yori Dango, I felt that Jerry acted so well as the childish and arrogant leader of F4 who slowly became soft because of his love for a very seemingly ordinary girl. In a nutshell, this drama ignited my love not only for Jerry, but also for Taiwanese dramas in general. Did I make any size? I mean sense. (See what I did there!)
Love Scar (2002)
This isn't one of his famous works and it is probably because it was only a mini-series, which was based on an adult manga. Jerry played the role of the younger brother whose past flame is about to get married to his older brother. He was so sexy and seductive in this drama, and it sucks that it only had 3 episodes!
The Hospital (2006)
Being a pre-med student can only guarantee that I'd have an affinity for anyone working in the same field as I'm planning to. This is why I fangirled so hard when I found out that he actually has a medical drama and with him as a surgeon (*squeals*). Jerry Yan as Dr. Su Yi Hwa is probably one of my favorites and not only because of what I just mentioned but his role as a gentle and loving surgeon is such a far cry from his previous roles. The guy obviously doesn't like being typecasted as he mentioned in some of his interviews which is also why he keeps rejecting roles (*cries*). Anyway, any girl would fall for him as Dr. Su (spoiler alert!) which is why you would just want to kill the female lead here for breaking his heart over and over again. He was annoying at times in this drama because he acted like a martyr way too much, and I often wondered would any person do the things that he has done in real life? But that's why it's fiction. This drama has 39 episodes and there were times when it took a long time (or maybe I was just being impatient) before his character would appear again but it was all worth the wait because of how he can make your heart skip a beat every time. It also literally made me run out of tears while watching it. I need to go call a doctor now!
Hot Shot (2008)
Known as the most expensive drama ever produced back in 2008 with Jerry, Show Luo, and Wu Chun (of course it would be expensive!). Jerry Yan as Dong Fang Xiang seemed like just a typical rich introverted lead with many issues which is why his portrayal here isn't one of my favorites. Since I mentioned before that I'm attracted to anyone in the medical field, another type that I like is someone who's into sports. Especially the sport basketball which is why he won my heart again. However, I only fully enjoyed this drama towards the end when Jerry’s character had scenes with Wu Chun’s character (I love him so much too!) that I was actually begging for more episodes with them together. And did I mention that they have a choreographed victory dance in this drama which is just the cutest thing ever? Go watch now if you haven't!
Starlit (2009)
I was such a jealous fangirl watching this drama because it was said that Jerry dated his co-star here, Terri Kwan, which made me despise her even though I hadn't even started watching the drama yet (LOL). To be fair, she played the character well. Although I was imagining someone like Ady An to play her character, which is really just an unbiased opinion of mine, since my ultimate dream drama couple is Ady and Jerry (drama gods, please make it happen!!). Jerry played as a famous pianist whose life was shattered into pieces when he got into an accident by saving Terri Kwan's character. Even if this seemed to be a serious drama, Jerry made it lighter because of his famous facial expressions (I just love them!), and also because of Terri's character's sunny personality here.
Down with Love (2010)
Aside from Meteor Garden, this is one of his famous works and for obvious reason: he was paired up with one of Taiwan's most well-loved actresses, S.H.E.'s Ella Chen. Even if I'm not a fan of Ella, I enjoyed this drama so much. It took me forever to finish it because I really didn't want it to end. And if you know/love Xiao Xiao Bin from Autumn's Concerto, he was so cute here as Jerry's nephew! Jerry's heartless turned lovestruck lawyer Xiang Yu Ping will make you fall in love again and again! Fun fact: Jerry and Ella are still friends up to now. They even dressed up as Santa's while visiting a children’s hospital during Christmas day.
My Splendid Life (2011)
This was my first taste of a Chinese drama, and this was my least favorite drama of his. The 38-episode drama itself was dragging and was apparently a Chinese adaptation of a K-drama called Shining Inheritance. Even if it was my least favorite drama of Jerry, he played a young and rich spoiled brat so well that you would actually forget that he was already 34 during this time. There were also some episodes that his character barely made an appearance which made me realize that I'm really obsessed with him since I had to sit through the horrible storyline just to see his wonderful face. I still have to praise him for loving this project so much that he was willing to lower his talent fee just to take part in this drama. It also helped that I was fine with his leading lady here, Yedda Chen, although I was personally rooting for her character to end up with the second male lead (which won't happen, of course). I liked Yedda and Jerry here. I call them my favorite dimple couple!
Loving, Never Forgetting (2014)
This is another Chinese production, so I expected the worst because of what I had to go through watching My Splendid Life. Since most Chinese productions dub the actors' voices, I was totally bummed that Jerry's beautiful voice was dubbed here. If you also want to see Jerry's short hair and portraying a role right for his age, then go watch this! Nothing melts my heart more than seeing such a beautiful man taking care of a child. This drama just recently garnered awards from different award-giving bodies including Jerry as best actor as he also did in Starlit.
'
MOVIES
For a big-shot actor like Jerry, it would make one wonder why he has only appeared on the big screen thrice throughout his entire career. However, it has been reported that many casting directors from different countries are hoping to work with him after his spectacular performance in Lupin III. Crossing my fingers that he will accept such offers!
Magic Kitchen (2004)
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Jerry was his adorable famous self here as he played Ho, an all-around assistant to Sammi Cheng's character. This was Jerry's first taste of working on the big screen, and he did it well as a chef who would bake a Pepsi cake for his boss (great skills on product placement, Pepsi). Just like in Loving, Never Forgetting, he was dubbed here since this was a Hong Kong production.
Ripples of Desire (2012)
Coming into the film, I never thought that I would actually love it. All the promotional photos and plot lines presented didn't really have much appeal to my senses. I thought I would sit through this 2-hour film being bored and wanting it to end. However, I'm really glad that I watched his first ever Taiwanese film since this can probably be considered as one of Jerry's most unique and challenging roles throughout his career. He played a pirate named Scarface, who is in love with a courtesan but of course, they couldn't be together because of various circumstances. His fighting and acting skills here as a pirate are definitely commendable. I'm also glad that this was recognized by different international film festivals because it was truly worth watching!
Lupin III (2014)
I watched this movie on its first day of showing right away even if I thought that his role here as Michael Lee wasn't going to be important. Even Jerry was surprised that he had so many scenes here, enough to be the other leading role! He said in a recent interview that he thought he was just going to get 5 minutes. This movie was very enjoyable to watch, and it was a really huge factor that Shun Oguri as Lupin had amazing working chemistry with Jerry in this film. If you want to see a multilingual (he spoke English, Japanese, and Mandarin here!) Jerry with a mustache (I'm personally not a fan of it though), leather pants, and carrying guns, then go ahead!
More fun facts:
He apparently had a fight with Barbie Hsu after the filming of Meteor Garden, and they didn't talk with each other for a long time after it finished. However, Jerry appeared as a guest in a talk show which was hosted by Barbie, and they settled their issues there (my shipper heart was very happy!).
UPDATE: After more than a decade, Jerry and Barbie are still friends!!! My Dao Ming Si-Shancai shipper heart will forever be happy. Wang Xiaofei, Barbie Hsu's husband, posted this on his micro-blogging site when they had a post-New Year's dinner celebration.
Even if he usually played the strong and dominant character in his dramas, this guy is very emotional in real life. He would cry in interviews, concerts, etc. whenever he was asked about his family, ex-girlfriend (Taiwan’s #1 model, Lin Chi-Ling), etc. He was even teary-eyed when his F4 band mates got reunited in Beijing to perform for a local channel’s Chinese New Year event special.
He has recently released his first ever Japanese album as his third solo album. He organized fan meetings in the different cities of Japan for its promotion. When he learned that a big fan of him from Japan died of cancer, he made the sister of that fan sit in front during his mini-concert. He even decided to stay in Tokyo before leaving for Taiwan just to visit his beloved fan's grave.
Aside from being an actor and a singer, this man has a big heart as he has done so many philanthropic projects already (another major turn-on!). This includes his stint as a World Vision ambassador, Taiwan’s Institute for the Blind, etc. He even has a school and a nursery in China with his name as the name of these institutions.
He was named as Taiwan’s highest-paid actor for 5 consecutive years. Even if he isn’t #1 anymore, he still continues to part of the highest-paid list. He also delved into the world of TV production by being the producer of the Taiwanese remake of K-drama, You're Beautiful, known as Fabulous Boys starring Jiro Wang.
He's also known to be as Taiwan's most elusive actor since he's also known to reject or drop out of a project. It actually sucks since the roles that he would've played could've been more perfect if it were played by him (totally not biased here! HAHA). Just to name some: My Pig Lady, Material Queen, Black & White, Mars, Skip Beat, and probably more that different sources of entertainment news have released.
Not sure if all of his roles were meant to be dreamy, or he just makes it dreamy x 100. It's very frustrating to be his fan because he makes dramas, films, or any other projects once in a blue moon. It's a difficult kind of love, but it doesn't make me love him less as a fan! I’m excited for the New Year because it's still possible that he's working on a new drama or project, and he’s also turning 38 on the same day but boy does he not look like that at all!
UPDATE: His latest drama, Because of Love is now airing in China. Just waiting for the episodes with English subtitles so I can fangirl some more! In addition to that, the Chinese franchise of Dancing with the Stars has reportedly paid millions for him to appear as a contestant. Definitely not going to miss seeing Jerry dance for sure!
That’s all for my Stalker’s Guide and also my first ever article here! Hope you got something from this! Feel free to drop comments/questions below :)
If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta about it.
