CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, May 2, 2018 Vibes | YOUTH 19 NEW WAVE OF NOSTALGIA Producer Angie Chai is adapting her hit 2001 Taiwan drama series Meteor Garden to appeal to modern mainland audiences. Wang Kaihao reports. or a period of time could this be long enough for during the early someone to become familiar 2000s, it was almost with the lines and grow into impossible for me to the role?” Fspend a single day at high While this prompted her to school without hearing about switch to a cast of new faces, Meteor Garden, a 20­episode she soon realized that produc­ Taiwan drama series featuring ing a TV series in the internet a cast of young idols. era presented many new chal­ Its theme song, Meteor lenges. Rain, could be heard on “The times where people almost every street corner, will accept whatever you give and the drama was an every­ A young heart is the key to keep them are long gone,” she says. day topic of discussion for my “People’s tastes are more classmates. I can still readily on creating new works for the refined and opinions are more recall the names of every divided. They will immediate­ major character in the series young. It’s as important as diligence, ly speak out (online) to judge now, even though I didn’t even devotion and professionalism.” the storyline or an actors’ per­ follow the program. formance.” It would probably be pretty Angie Chai , producer But she still believes that the difficult to find a person of my choice of format does not mat­ generation who has not heard ter as much as the sentiment. of F4, the boy band composed “No matter which format we of Jerry Yan, Vanness Wu, Ken use, we creators still have to Chu, and Vic Chou — the four express our inner beauty,” she leading actors from the drama. says. Such is the legacy left by Nevertheless, it is becoming producer Angie Chai for a gen­ more difficult for a picky audi­ eration of people, not only on ence to believe in the idealized both sides of the Taiwan characters presented in this Straits, but also in more than genre of youth­oriented dra­ 20 countries and regions ma. around Asia — such was the In the time of the original extent of Meteor Garden’s pop­ Meteor Garden, many teenag­ ularity. ers were quick to identify So it was no surprise to see with the characters and that Chinese social networks believe their lives reflected are currently riding a wave of their own situation. However, nostalgia after the drama was 2011, among many other tation would just be a mean­ a common question Chai is recently aired again on inter­ works. ingless copy,” she admits. often asked today is: Since net giant Tencent’s streaming Stepping into the Chinese “However, I later decided to you have created so many media platform. mainland market, she worked take it on because I wanted to fairy tales, how can you be in Chai, who is often referred on the production of the hit have a dialogue with my touch with the real world and to as “the mother of youth idol film franchise Tiny Times. younger self, a person who had all its cruelty? dramas”, recently appeared in Although the four films were no real experience back then. I The moment when Taiwan Beijing to join a cultural crea­ heavily criticized for their por­ wanted to figure out the actor Kai Ko, a rising star from tivity conference hosted by trayal of money worship, its changes that have happened You Are the Apple of My Eye Tencent. success was undeniable: “Tiny to me.” and the Tiny Times franchise, Even 17 years after the pre­ Times” soon became a buzz­ Nevertheless, Chai says new burst into tears in front of miere of the phenomenal dra­ word among young people, themes will be added to the hundreds of reporters in Bei­ ma, 56­year­old Chai still and the film franchise enjoyed upcoming production. In the jing in 2014 as he apologized could not hold back her tears a die­hard following, just as original series, the gap for his drug use, may have in front of a packed auditori­ Meteor Garden did in the past. between rich and poor was the been one of those moments for um resounding once again to But things have moved on. main focus of the story, but in Chai. Standing by his side, she the tune of Meteor Rain. And as Chai recalls, while fans the new version she wanted to couldn’t have failed to under­ “A young heart is the key to once told her: “I grew up explore the gulf between the stand the cruel nature of life in keep on creating new works watching your productions”, different values and ideas that the real world. for the young,” Chai says. “It’s their children now keep telling young people hold today. Ko, an idol who had the as important as diligence, her: ‘My mom says she loves Her role as producer of the potential to become another devotion and professional­ your work’. series has also taken Chai in a superstar like F4, suddenly ism.” “Times are changing, but I new direction. When she saw his career on the Chinese Meteor Garden is a story want to stand together with Angie Chai (third from right) with actors of a new mainland adaptation of Meteor Garden. made Meteor Garden in 2001, mainland come crashing to an that plots the romance 18­year­old people in different PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY each episode cost less than end because of the scandal. between a poor girl and a times,” she smiles. “No matter 200,000 yuan ($31,700). Now Taking to the stage in Bei­ young man attending an elite what era it is, young people the budget for one episode of jing once again, Chai says school, as well as their entan­ will still be confused when hailed Chai for changing the elementary school,” Chai says. it. I realized then that this also the new series has ballooned there is no meaningful life gled relationships with their confronted with love, friend­ way dramas were made, and “But why did it sell for hun­ applied to me.” to 3 million yuan. without regret. classmates and friends. The ship and dreams. They lack for developing the market. But dreds of millions dollars? It is Now, Chai is undertaking a One production company “I hear too many young peo­ success of the series spawned confidence, and will keep Chai says she did not realize a model of abstract expres­ major new venture that is she contacted suggested that ple complain about the reality innumerable Cinderella­story searching for their values.” how successful she had sionism, which contains the challenging her skills as a pro­ Chai include a celebrated of their lives,” she responds. themed shows, which domi­ Consequently, her formula become until she visited a artist’s deepest emotions and ducer. actor in the cast, but the actor “But if you open your heart, nated TV screens over the fol­ has always managed to modern art museum in New inner voice. A new mainland adaptation only had a window of 100 days take your life seriously and lowing years. remain a certain degree of York. “Something may look sim­ of Meteor Garden will be available for shooting. By don’t waste your time, why For Chai, Meteor Garden freshness. There, she discovered an ple in the eyes of future gener­ screened later this year, which Chai’s estimations the role does happiness have to be a was only the start, however. In 2002, she was listed by artwork painted by American ations,” she explains. “But if could create another collective would require at least 6 fairy tale?” In 2007, she produced the US magazine Business Week artist Mark Rothko. you’re the first person of your memory for a new generation months of shooting to com­ drama series Corner with as one of the 25 “Stars of Asia”, “At first glance, I thought I time to come up with a new of teenagers — with Chai once plete, and she finally decided Contact the writer at Love, followed by the film You as a leader at the forefront of might have been able to create concept and then realize it, again at the helm. to turn down the offer: “For a wangkaihao@ Are the Apple of My Eye in change in the region. People a similar style of painting at you should be recognized for “At first, I thought an adap­ 50­episode production, how chinadaily.com.cn ble to see the great things that can be accomplished,” says Making waves on the global stage Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment. “We are very excited to work with Wang By YAN DONGJIE Wang, best known for his lead­ the learning process and the most urgent environment Junkai to create even more [email protected] ing role in box­office block­ professionalism of the part­ issues of their generation, awareness about the environ­ buster Miracles of the Namiya ners at UNEP, as well as gain­ such as pollution, air quality, mental problems and solu­ Young Chinese are increas­ General Store and the hit sin­ ing a new understanding of wildlife protection, ecosys­ tions for these times.” ingly making their voices gle Karry On, has often spoken issues involving environmen­ tems, and many more. As the leading global voice heard and influencing world out on environmental issues, tal protection.