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“Shan Cai” Dubber Cynthia Villanueva Mourns Barbie Hsu’s Passing

Voice actor Cynthia Villanueva, who dubbed Shan Cai in the Tagalog version of the 2001 hit Taiwanese series Meteor Garden, mourned Barbie Hsu’s untimely passing.

Cynthia Villanueva

Photo: TagaDubb TV/YouTube and Barbie Hsu/Instagram

In an exclusive interview with News 5, Cynthia was grateful that she was able to be the voice of the iconic character.

“Napakalaki yung role na ginampanan niya (Barbie) bilang Shan Cai sa buhay ng mga Pilipino (She played a significant role as Shan Cai in the lives of Filipinos). She gave us joy, she gave us laughter,” she said.

“It was just a great opportunity to be able to voice and give life to that character, at para mahalin din ng mga Pilipino (so that Filipinos will love her too),” she added.

The voice actor revealed that she didn’t get the chance to meet the Meteor Garden star when she visited the Philippines in 2003.

“No, there was no opportunity,” she lamented. “I wish I had the opportunity to meet her. I’m sure, in the same way, she would feel the same na ma-meet ‘yung nagbigay ng boses sa kanya (about meeting the one who gave her a voice).

Despite the show being over two decades old, she has always been grateful for the love and support she received from Filipino fans and viewers for bringing Shan Cai to life.

“I still feel the love, even until now, kahit saan po ako magpunta. Kapag nalaman nila na ako ‘yung nagbigay ng boses kay Shan Cai (wherever I go, when people find out that I was the one who gave voice to Shan Cai), they give me that respect and I really, really appreciate that,” she shared.

Barbie Hsu died at the age of 48 because of influenza-induced pneumonia, as confirmed by her family. She caught the flu during the Lunar New Year Holiday in Japan.

The unexpected death of the renowned Taiwanese actress sent waves of sadness among Filipinos who grew up and fell in love with the popular show.

The Taiwanese hit drama revolved around a hardworking and strong-willed teenage girl named Shan Cai who crossed paths with F4—a group of four handsome men from rich and influential families. Eventually, she fell in love with Dao Ming Si, F4’s leader.


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