Bye- Bye to Our Original Shan Cai

Source: Pep.ph

It was May of 2003. My sister and I were invited by our auntie and uncle to have a vacation in Caniogan, a sitio of our barangay. There were no smartphones, no tablets, only television. It was fun staying there as we and our cousins had time staying outdoors. I remember that we slid with dried coconut petioles in the rice terraces near their grandma’s house. We also had fishing adventures at Bongao which is a cliff. I had a hard time going down that cliff going to the shoreline as it was slippery. Those are my childhood core, and I am thankful I experienced those things as the children of today may not be due to exposure to online technology.  

Speaking of my childhood, there was a girl who was famous at that time. I saw her for the first time on screen. It was a rainy afternoon. We cannot go outside, so we just sat in front of the TV.  

The actors were foreign. Well, having foreign drama shows on Philippine television was a norm that time as Filipinos patronize Mexicanovelas. But I noticed that the actors of that show were not blonde nor mestiza/meztiso looking. They have slanted eyes. Moreover, I noticed that there were subtitles that I perceived as Chinese (it is Mandarin based on my research) like what I see on Jackie Chan movies. That girl named Shan Cai was brave in confronting a group of rich, arrogant boys known as Flower 4 or F4. That day made me follow the show known as Meteor Garden--- the phenomenal Taiwanese drama that started the Asianovela trend.  

Who would not enjoy the stubbornness of Shan Cai (played by Barbie Hsu) when she deals with the arrogant Dao Ming Si (played by Jerry Yan)? I witnessed how these two different people in terms of behavior and status turned into lovers as the story went on. I was one of those who cheered Shan Cai on catching the bus which Dao Ming Si rode in. If I could go to the scene, I would help the poor girl in picking the oranges scattered on the road. I was one of those who laughed when this gritty girl played the piano at Si’s birthday party. These are some of the iconic moments of the show. I also tried to sing along with “All by Myself” and “Broken Vow” even though I am out of tune.  

Meteor Garden turned to be popular in the Philippines that Barbie, Jerry, and the rest of the F4 became household names in the country. I remember that my cousin on my father’s side who was a teenager at that time had posters of the actors posted in their living room. People at that time tried to achieve Shan Cai’s pigtails and F4’s hairstyles and fashion.  

Whenever I see throwbacks of the show or when the opening and closing songs are recalled by my mind, I can’t help but feel nostalgic of my childhood wishing I could back when I just struggled to go home early and watch TV. Indeed, the characters and actors have space in my heart and mind.  

When I saw a post last February 3 about Barbie’s passing due to pneumonia, I was in disbelief. It was noontime when I saw a foreign Facebook page sharing the tragic news. At first, I thought it might be misinformation. I waited for the local media outlets to deliver the information. After a few minutes, the sad news spread like wildfire. I was not able to write what I felt that time, but I just typed in “Shan Cai...” on my Facebook account. Filipinos especially my fellow millennials were saddened about the actress’s demise.  

She was 48. I had the hard time accepting the fact that the actress who played the iconic Shan Cai died at that young age. It pierced my heart. I was sad the whole afternoon. I tried to work that night, but I was demotivated. I had to pause for a moment, search on her name on Google and saw the date of her death on search results. I browsed articles while listening to Penny Tai’s “The Love You Want”. It was a painful relapse. The nine-year-old kid is grieving on his childhood memory. Adulting makes me realize that growing old is a painful process---there are things that we lose on our way as we traverse the paths in life.  

Whenever I hear Shan Cai, I remember Barbie Hsu. She excellently breathed life to that sassy, brave girl. We will remember you as the fearless girl who taught us to face everyone with grit even though red cards are in front of us. Bye-bye to our original Shan Cai. Xie xie.