In People
Date: November 30, 2003

Transcribed by kenkel33


N – Narrator
H – Host
K – Ken

N – They have a common name called F4. The drama Meteor Garden has certainly boost the fame of these 4 unknown handsome boys across the entire Asia region overnight. It could be the fame or it could be a common question to all groups, the news about their togetherness or separation has always been a discussion topic during interviews. Even after so many years, after so many films, drama, advertisements and Music, Meteor Garden is still the prime topic wherever they are.

H – I am not sure if there are still areas to touch on for Meteor Garden as there were already plenty of reports done on it.

K – Right

H – After so many years, what are some of the memories that you still possess about this drama?

K – I guess a lot of people feel that Meteor Garden is great, etc, etc, etc. The 4 of us felt that it was a very very special opportunity. But we should not continue to live within the show, we will never improve if we did. This is what director Chai told me. I told him that he was great and had made it for the best director award of the year. He said he cannot live with just this one show, the Best Director award is an annual event.

H – Otherwise, he would just have it for that one year.

K – Right, that’s way I do agree with him.

H – But you can’t deny the fact that Meteor Garden brought you the flame of fame.

K – I agree, the first time when we completed the drama, the 4 of us was very worried. Not sure if the public like our show or will they be able to accept us. At that time, we release a Music album and arranged for an autography session. That day came but we could not be there because the entire place was swamped with fans. We were not there to see but they videotaped it down and we saw it from the studio. I was totally shock because in my memory that has only happened to The Beatles. The fans refused to leave, the whole place was overcrowded and they were longing and waiting for us to appear. It was really very dangerous because there were too many people and the stage was not stable for such an occasion. I was really quite disappointed, however due to safety of everybody we don’t have a choice. I was shock and surprise and ask myself if this was real. Because my initial thought of choosing showbiz as a career was it could probably fetch a better income faster however I understand that I would need to make equal amount of sacrifices. I have never thought it would be in this manner. My original thinking was I will progress slowly to build up my popularity and then stabilized my career from there. Little did I expect this to happen.

H – So, when did you begin to accept and adapt the lifestyle of a popular artist?

K – There are some things in live that one can never adapt to.

H – Not even now.

K – Let me give you some examples, like the scratching sound of a blackboard or when you are bathing, the water runs hot and then suddenly cold, at the temperature of 50 degree, up & down and up & down, nobody can adjust to this. But it does happen, thus I just need to try and accept them.

H – Just now, I wanted to ask and my colleagues told me not to. They said that F4 does not like to talk about their separation.

K – Not that we don’t like to thought about it but it is, till now there are still a lot of people out there couldn’t understand and accept what we were trying to advise.

H – What are the advice that you would like to share now?

K – From the very beginning, we have never said we were a group. It was just so happened that there were 4 different characteristics in a drama and we happened to be them.

H – But you guys have a common name ‘F4’.

K – That is the character in the drama, we have never thought of using the name ‘F4’ to develop our career in showbiz. Never thought of it. When we have completed the drama, we bid each other with farewell wishes and said goodbye. But the company thought since F4 was so popular, it would be a waste to drop it off just then. Thus, wanted to explore to pro-long it a little more by releasing an album. The result was once again overwhelming, thus we continued. The main point is, everyone’s thought about a group is they will sing the same song, dance together, say the same thing and have the same movement but we have not done anything similar. In fact, when we perform our first show in Taiwan, we dance differently, make different moves and etc. However, it could be because of this we were well accepted by the public. Till now, occasionally our company will show us some movies that have 4 different characters and ask if we wish to explore. 4 of us will take a look at it and discuss together but each of us will have our own comments.

H – I personally felt that it was a special acquaintance, 4 of you got together, share the same experience, acted in the same drama and established your popularity together at the same time.

K – I agree, I felt likewise, 4 of us have this very special fate together. We can achieve the peak when we are together and 4 of us agreed with this totally.

H – Was there any special memories when 4 of you film Meteor Garden? Or when you guys first met…

K – Actually we were not close even after we have completed Meteor Garden I.

H – What?

K – 4 of us was still not close.

H – Why?

K – Because at that time…

H – Was the filming done individually?

K – Not individually but we are actors hence we are just fulfilling the requirements of the drama. We are new then, hence 4 of us have our very own schedule, and thus we did not have much interacting time together. The director will put everything together for us hence we run our own schedule individually. Thus, we were still not close even after the drama has been completed. At that time, I don’t even have Vanness and Vic’s handphone numbers. Really…

H – That’s very strange…

K – Thereafter, we need to get together more often that I have gotten their phone numbers. Gradually from there, we started talking and understanding each other.

H – So, the 4 of you got together was more for something that need to be done together.

K – Right and this is a very special feeling. All of us would arrived together and ask ourselves what do we need to do today? Do we need to do this together? We need to be the same….yes….yeh….ok let’s do it…

H – So cute…

N - There is this saying that goes, one’s character will determine one’s fate and fate will determine characters. We can clearly see F4’s growing-up footsteps. Xiao Tian, who has been following his mother from his younger days, traveling around Asia has developed his independency, aloofness and less socialable characteristic since then.

H – Having understood your experiences, besides your fame and popularity that were most envied by a lot of people. Xiao Tian, you had a very challenging childhood.

K – I felt that I am very fortunate, these experiences have helped me to understand things better. Even though at times, I do feel that it was unfair. Why do I have to go through these bad experiences? I am a person that goes for normal and peaceful lifestyle. But faith has never answered to my request. My live has always been up and down, up and down and it is still the same now.

H – How old were you when your parent divorce?

K – Very young…so young that I could not remember my age then. (Can tell that Ken felt a little uneasy here)

H – How do you feel not having your father in your childhood days?

K – No, no….cannot say that I don’t have my father in my childhood days. He was around, it was just that we do not meet often. (Still displaying his charming smile and laughter here)

H – Because you were traveling, moving from one place to another?

K – Yes, I belong to the gypsy community.

H – Where have you been?

K – A lot of places. I was in Taiwan till about 8 years old. Thereafter, I went to Thailand and stayed there for a year. After that, I was in Hong Kong for a period of time before settling down in Singapore. I stayed in Singapore for 8 years. In between these years, I traveled to other Asian countries quite often too.

H – The word gypsy sounds interesting, how does the live go?

K – Hmm…I felt that a gypsy’s live is just like a person that has joined the underworld gang. (Underworld = gangster)

H – Underworld gang?

K – Yes….you will….you will not understand them if you aren’t them. If you are one of them, you don’t know how to relate/convey to the others about your feelings and thoughts or maybe you dare not relate or convey too much.

H – Do they abuse stranger? Like yourself?

K – Yes….At the beginning…I was being abuse….quite badly…(Some uneasiness here)

H – Badly abuse….

K – Very badly abuse….Because the 1st family or rather the first few families that I was with weren’t that friendly. But it is fine now, everything is over and they are already in the past now. (Charming laughter again)

H – How did they abuse you? I would like to know more about it.

K – Er….er..I was ever beaten up in the middle of my sleep. They covered me with a blanket and whacked me up, punched me all over. Maybe it was because I was naughty and was not a lovable boy, I guess……(Sweet smile again but I could tell from his expression, he had suffered a lot)

H – So, how did you protect yourself?

K – Not so much about protecting myself but I have changed my attitudes towards strangers. The English word is aggressive, not sure how to translate in Mandarin. That is….I became very sharp… Like before someone finish relating a subject, I will challenge him or her by saying….so….why…why…

H – Became unfriendly….

K – Right…right…right…

H – Not like now whereby you smile and laugh a lot.

K – Right…

N – While working in a Japanese restaurant, Xiao Tian was spotted by Angie Chai. In showbiz, Xiao Tian is popular and famous but yet he maintains his very innocent characteristic of a very clear mind and overly forgiving personalities. Having to support his own school fees, Xiao Tian started working in Singapore secretly during his teenage days. The working hours dominated all his personal times, even though it was hard on him, he has never complaint. Xiao Tian says, boys must be independent and should not think of just relying on their parents. At 17 years old, it was just like turning into an adult overnight, he totally moves away from his mother’s support.

H – At 17 years old, you left Singapore for Taiwan. Was it because you have given up your studies? Or because you missed home?

K – Hmmm… I felt that it was unnecessary to continue my study then. At that time, my thought was I have already started working and the school was still teaching Sin, Cosine, tangent (Mathematic topics) and etc. At that moment, I felt they were useless to me. Why am I learning history when my pocket is penniless and I am almost starving to death….Learning history and geography? However, I do regret now that I could not complete my education then. At that time, I really don’t have a choice. As I grow up, being more mature and able to understand and handle things better, I would like to return to school and continue my education. But I will probably learn something that I like.

H – What will you go for?

K – I probably will pursue photography and culinary skills…………..

H – Culinary? Do you need to? (Indicating that XT cooks very well)

K – Hmm…How should I say this….to me, cooking a good dish is the most satisfying thing in my live. not my current job. Because I have always regard making a dish as an art…..the timing, mood, feeling and the result of the dish. I just love the feelings when someone tells me that the dish I cooked is delicious. This is what a chef would….

H – Isn’t this the feelings of a chef?

K – Right, right…they need this most. There was once when I was in Japan, walking on the street….I saw a long queue in front of a bakery shop, queuing to buy bread from the shop. I joined the queue, after queuing for half an hour, finally I bought some bread too. I ate them and they were just awesome. I went over to the baker and told him that his bread is wonderful. He said, he has been doing this daily for the past 30 years, everyday bake the same thing, everyday waiting for someone to tell me this. (Ken’s eyes look pretty watery here)

H – I heard that you love cooking, was this interest inherited? Your family members also like cooking?

K – My father is from Nanjing and my mother is from Henan. (They are 2 different provinces in China)

H – Really?

K – Right, both families have different kind of dishes.

H – Right, North and south’s flavors are very different.

K – But they are both awesome. That’s why when we were young, we have wonderful food. My sister and I have very high expectation on food because we know pretty much about it. When we grew up, we use to eat outside alot, there were plenty of recommendations from friends. We will usually just tag along, eating the food silently while everyone is enjoying it. Out of respect, I would say that the food is fine, as it goes along we decided to cook ourselves.

N – Not sure if it was just coincident, Xiao Tian’s previous jobs have always been related to food. Xiao Tian is proud of his culinary skill. He says even if there were just plain vegetables and beancurd, he could turn them into an awesome dish. Maybe because he has been very busy with his work, hence given that little time to do his cooking gives him a big satisfaction. The most important fact is his acquaintance with food has marked a significant turnaround point in his live.

H – It is just too coincident, I understood that when Meteor Garden producer spotted you, you were a Captain in a Japanese restaurant.

K – Right, At that time….but the word Captain is just being nice. There were just 2 persons in the entire restaurant, one is the boss cum cook and another one is me, a worker of everything…

H - Then…

K – Well… I was very happy then, my live was very fulfilling. I had 2 jobs at that time. From 12pm to 4pm, I worked in a pet hospital doing pet’s grooming type of work. Thereafter, I will go home for a short break. After the little rest, I will proceed to ‘Shier Xiao’ restaurant and finished my work there at about 3am in the morning.

H – That’s really busy…

K – Yes….In the beginning, the restaurant’s business was very poor, no customer. Then gradually business grew, it was almost full house everyday. The feeling of this achievement is just great. My highest record was, the entire restaurant was full house for a continuous of 4 hours, customers come and go. I was the only worker in the shop. I managed to satisfy every customer’s needs, I was so, so happy.

H – How did you do that?

K – At that time, all the customers thought I was the boss. Thus, when the real boss came out of the kitchen to say ‘hello’, they thought he was just a chef.

H – Oh…

K – Right..

H – How did you manage it? It is so difficult…

K – I like…I like seeing people enjoy their food. This gives me a very satisfying and happy feeling. When I am happy, the customers can feel it. I have a very peculiar habit, I don’t accept tips….the customers find me very strange. When they tip me, I will say to them, if you like this place, do come back again….I am happy to be your friend…the tips is not necessary, keep it and I will returned it to them.

H – Is Angie Chai one of your customer in the restaurant?

K – At that time, I don’t know who Angie Chai was. It was actually quiet funny, I don’t recognize her. Our restaurant open till very late, hence there was a lot of artists patronize our restaurant because they have very inconsistent working hours. I served her like any other customers. I remembered that very special day, it was the eve of my birthday…eve of my 20th birthday night. She came and said…..you, you, you…I don’t have your handphone numbers….I was trying to look for you for a long time. Then I said, I don’t have a handphone…..She said, I have made an appointment for you tomorrow to meet so and so…come out and let’s talk about it. I was pretty shock and surprise….she sounded very sincere….I went for the appointment and everything went very well. My thought was, it is difficult to meet someone so sincere nowadays, and therefore I decided to give it a try. That’s how it all started….

N – Scenes of the past are still clear and fresh in Xiao Tian’s memory but his live has not stopped moving, time has traveled from then till now. Comparison with the other F3 is inevitable, the result is something that his fans worry about. Probably Sky of Love is an appetizer that he would like to share with his fans before his solo album.

H – I remembered that when the director of Sky of Love was choosing you, he was very much being influenced by quite a number of people. They said that Xiao Tian’s look should not have a problem at all but will the public accept his acting skill.

K – I felt that it is very much one’s opinion. To me, the most important thing is not that I have done well or great in every piece of my work but rather have I make an improvement in each of them. Like if I have done something today, it may not be the best but the next time, did my marks increased? … yes…did I improve?…and if I did…this would be good enough. Because not everyone can achieve a 100 marks from the very beginning, hence if I start with 50 marks, the next time, I will go for 55 marks and then 60 marks…slowly and gradually…I feel that this is the right approach.

H – There is a scene whereby you have to wait in the rain..

K – Right….

H – It was really a heavy rain, were you really waiting in the rain?

K – They actually employed the water truck to forge the raining scene.

H – How much water were used?

K – A lot….the shower guys were afraid of getting wet. They were each given a poncho but they reversed their poncho with the hock being worn in front to cover their faces and start spraying water aimlessly.

H – Then…you….

K – I don’t have a choice. Their faces were all covered and they were spraying water from all different directions.

H – So…this is very different from a real rainy day…

K – Right.

H – Talk about your feeling then…

K – Er…feel a bit…well at that moment…I felt a little…why am I working so hard? But thereafter when it was done, I saw the effect myself and felt…whoa…looks great….I kind of feel good about it.

N – Xiao Tian says he is a quiet person. During his free time, he would practice Yoga or go diving. Seeing himself singing and dancing on the stage, his relatives and friends were quite amazed. Probably because of his simple characteristic, Xiao Tian is not what most people would think, enjoying his fame and popularity lifestyle blindly, he did not.

H – Looking at showbiz from a close perspective or behind the scene, what are your personal views? What are some of your thoughts about the happenings within?

K – I felt that I have to say that it all come too fast….right..even do it may be fated but it has really come too fast. I…I couldn’t….my these 2 years….4 years…yap I have been in showbiz for 4 years now. The things that I have seen and experienced in these 4 years could be more than someone’s entire live.

H – I don’t quite understand what you mean…

K – The happenings, people’s expression, people’s mood…..the people, the work, the things…just too many of them that I have seen and experience….

H – You are always at the tip of the iceberg hence you should not be seeing or encountering any unpleasantness. Meteor Garden got you the fame and popularity overnight hence everyone should be pleasing you guys at all time.

K – No….I disagree with what you say. A true artist’s behavior should not be like that. If you keep showing your mood to others than you will be done in no time….right….if you want to be petty and calculative at every thing than you could only be an average artist. Besides, one needs to understand, I personally feel that understanding the backend operation is far more important than the front. Only if you understand the backend than you will realize how difficult their jobs are. I always see the cameraman carry the heavy equipment on his shoulder. The director say we need to film a scene on the cliff, taking the scene from the outside of the cliff looks beautiful but this gentlemen had only strip himself with a miserable safety belt and was hanged outside the cliff to take the shot. When you see it, you will worry and feel for him. Then, you will see another man carrying the long microphone, that is very heavy. Some times they need to carry it above their heads in the same position for 15 minutes or more. To them, what was it for them? They are not paid well, probably is satisfaction that keeps them going. From there, you will gradually understand why these selfless people are doing it, all because of a sense of fulfillment. Having understood these, I became compassionate towards them…..right….I feel that they are very important because without them, we will not see wonderful artists. Without these people’s hard work….but very unfortunately in real live, everyone only saw the artist in the front.

H – Right.

K – Nobody realized these hardworking people behind the scene.

H – What do you think are some of the people’s views and thoughts about you?

K – I really don’t know.

H – Don’t really know….

K – I think I won’t want to worry too much about it. Because when the audience looks at you and you have perform to your very best sincerely….the people who understand will always understand…..you don’t need to tell them much….the people who don’t understand, you can explain a thousand time but the message will still not be understood…right….I personally feel that ‘understanding’ is not an easy achievement…just like myself…some time out of nowhere, my mind suddenly just woke up and ‘ding’ I understood something.

H – Yeah….suddenly your mind just wake up and begin to understand something….

K – Right….That’s why we need not say too much…if that person understands….he will understand….right…

N – Whether it was the past lifestyle or the current artist lifestyle, Xiao Tian is always looking forward to a peaceful live. Xiao Tian says he has an inferior personality and is a person that accepts fate, he does not want to change from what he is. If he were given a choice, he would rather take his backpack and travel around the world to experience, to see and to discover. Unfortunately, fate has chosen the direction of his live for him thus we hope that he will walk down this path successfully and happily.