The last time Jerry Yan appeared in a television drama was in 2020, Count Your Lucky Stars, opposite Shen Yue. Since then we have not heard him taking any drama projects.Â
Until this month (June 2022) when it was confirmed he is the male lead in the youth drama, "Summer Flower". He also joined the casts and crew at the booting ceremony on June 20, 2022.
However, his new acting project drew criticism from fans. Apart from the huge age difference between him and his female lead, Xu Rouhan (21 years apart), fans are wondering why after 20 years since he starred in Meteor Garden, he is still stuck in the idol drama genre.
Jerry seems didn't progress in his acting career (have not seen him doing historical/costume drama or any wuxia series). Unlike Vic Chou (Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden) who is quite successful in his transition to mature roles.
Although he starred in more than a dozen TV series after 2001, Asian drama fans still remember him as Dao Mingsi in Meteor Garden.
Jerry Yan, known as Yan Chengxu in Chinese, had a meteoric rise to international stardom in 2001 when he starred as the hot-tempered rich boy, Dao Mingsi, in the hugely popular Taiwanese idol drama, Meteor Garden.Â
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| Jerry Yan as Dao Mingsi in Meteor Garden (2001, 2002) |
Due to the drama's popularity, F4, a boy band composed of the male leads of Meteor Garden - Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu, and Ken Chu - was formed in 2001. The group disbanded in 2007 and had not been seen performing live on stage as a group since 2013.
Jerry did more television series, and also ventured into films, after Meteor Garden, but none of those projects left a remarkable mark in the memory of Asian drama fans.Â
However, he continued to attract interest from the public. Each time there's an update of him starring in a new drama project, it's always become an instant hot topic.
But what makes fans wonder is the fact that he has not evolved from being an idol drama star. The acting projects that come at his doorsteps seem just limited, and all in the youth romance genre. Is it Jerry's choice? Or his management team's decision?
On January 1, 2022, Jerry turned 45 and has been in the entertainment scene for 22 years. And yet the market of his drama remains in the young bracket. Isn't the right time for him to transition to more challenging roles?
In 2020, his drama with Shen Yue, Count Your Lucky Stars, was not well received by fans. Shen Yue, who was born in 1997, is 20 years his junior, and Chinese netizens who are always critical of the age difference between drama leads, viewed him as more like an uncle to Shen Yue's character, rather than a lover. You know, C-Netz can be harsh with their opinion towards drama celebrities.
And now another issue on Jerry's pairing with another super young actress. Xu Ruohan was born on February 27, 1998, which means, she was just two years old when the filming of Meteor Garden season 1 began in 2000.
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| Xu Ruohan and Jerry Yan began filming, Summer Flower |
However, some fans who have read the source novel of Summer Flower are not critical of the pairing of Jerry Yan and Xu Ruohan because, in the story, Xu Ruohan plays He Ran, a young girl who falls in love with a middle-aged man, Xiao Han (Jerry Yan). So, I guess, this casting is just right.Â
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| Promotional poster of Summer Flower |
And besides, Jerry does not look like an "uncle" or a middle-aged man. He still maintains an aura of a hunky model and still exudes that Dao Mingsi charming vibe.Â
He has still this youthful, irresistible look that stirs young 🥰 And with his firm body and handsome face, he can still be mistaken as a man in his 30s. Jerry Yan is still single and has not heard dating someone.Â
He is also quiet, and very private with his personal life, his last known girlfriend was Lin Chi-ling, a Taiwanese actress and model who he dated, on and off, between 2000 to 2015. Lin Chi-ling got married in 2019 to a Japanese singer.Â
Summer Flower began filming this month and will wrap up by September this year. Tentative airing schedule is 2023. It will be streamed on Tencent/WeTV.
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| Yang Yang, Xu Ruohan, and Jackie Chan at the premiere of Vanguard |
Speaking of Xu Ruohan, she was discovered by no less than Hongkong superstar and producer, Jackie Chan, in 2018.Â
She was introduced in Jacky Chan's literary film, My Diary, in 2018. Chan also included her in the casting of his film, Vanguard, released in 2020 which also starred Yang Yang. She graduated from the Animated School of Beijing Film Academy.
Updated: February 13, 2023
This drama has a new title, The Forbidden Flower and it's now streaming on Tencent/WeTV and also available on Viki.
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| Taiwanese actor Jerry Yan |
Plot summary from Viki.com
He Ran (Xu Ruo Han) is an 18-year-old aspiring painter whose family is wealthy and conservative. They have arranged for her to marry, but she has no interest in going along with their plans.Â
One day, while at the hair salon, she hears a man’s voice – and becomes besotted with him immediately. The man, however, is the middle-aged Xiao Han (Jerry Yan), a despondent but talented horticulturist. He Ran simply cannot forget his voice, and resolves to find Xiao Han.
She pursues him and finally begins a passionate relationship with Xiao Han, who soon begins to feel deep emotions for her, too. But the lovers face seemingly unassailable obstacles:Â
He Ran’s family will do everything they can to put an end to this relationship if they find out. And, worse still, He Ran is suffering from a health condition that could possibly prove fatal. Will this unlikely love affair end in happiness – or tragedy – for He Ran and Xiao Han?
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