On February 3, Taiwanese media reported that Barbie Hsu had passed away due to seasonal flu complications leading to pneumonia while on a family trip to Japan. The news of her death was confirmed by her family.
Barbie Hsu has always been famous since her debut. Taiwanese media has referred to her as the “forever-level idol” and “the woman who cannot be manipulated.” She never experienced a period of obscurity in her career, even though she has not acted in films for the past decade. Her last project was “Motorway” and “Croczilla,” released in 2012.
The reason why Barbie Hsu never lost her fame is because her life has always had elements that attract public attention and discussion.
Table of contents
Profile
- Name Barbie Hsu / Hsi-yuan Hsu
- Chinese: 徐熙媛
- Birthdate: October 4, 1976
- Birthplace: Taiwan
- Height: 163cm
- Blood Type: B
Filmography
Movies
- My Kingdom | Da wu sheng (2011) – Xi Mu Lang
- Motorway (2011)
- Adventure of The King | Long Feng Dian (2010) – Phoenix
- Reign of Assassins | Jianyu (2010) – Zhanqing
- Hot Summer Days (2010)
- Future X-Cops | Mei loi ging chaat (2010)
- On His Majesty’s Secret Service | Da Nei Mi Tan Ling Ling Gou (2009)
- My So Called Love (2008)
- Kung Fu Chef (2008)
- Connected | Bao chi tong hua (2008)
- Silk (2006-Taiwan) | Guisi (2006) – Su
- The Ghost Inside | Yi shen yi gui (2005) – Lin Xiaoyue
Television
- Summer of Bubbles | (2009)
- Corner with Love | Zhuan Jiao * Yu Dao Ai (CTV / ETTV / 2007)
- Phantom Lover | Ye Ban Ge Sheng (2005)
- Mars | Zhan Shen (CTS / 2004)
- Say Yes Enterprise(Story 3: Love Letter) | Qiu Hun Shi Wu Suo (TTV / 2004)
- A Chinese Ghost Story | Qian Nv You Hun (CTS / 2003)
- The Monkey King: Quest for the Sutra | Qi Tian Da Sheng Sun Wu Kong (TVB / 2002 )
- Meteor Garden 2 | Liu xing hua yuan 2 (CTS / 2002)
- Meteor Garden | Liu xing hua yuan (CTS / 2001)
National Idol Goddess
Barbie Hsu, born in 1976 in Taiwan, received formal artistic training since her middle school years. In 1980, she and her younger sister, Dee Hsu, entered the entertainment industry as singers, forming the group Sisters Of Shu (S.O.S.) with stage names Big S and Little S.
After a brief period of activity, S.O.S. disbanded. Barbie Hsu then transitioned into hosting a variety of entertainment shows. Realizing that this wasn’t her strongest suit, her manager sought opportunities for her to enter the film industry. He explained that he didn’t want to waste her beauty and talent.
In 2001, Barbie Hsu landed her first lead role as Dong Shan Cai in “Meteor Garden.” This idol drama catapulted her to fame across Asia and earned her a nomination for Best Actress at the Golden Bell Awards.
The success of “Meteor Garden” helped Barbie Hsu rise to the status of an A-list star. She became the “national goddess,” highly sought after in the entertainment industry. The role of Dong Shan Cai remains one of her most iconic screen performances.
After her fame from “Meteor Garden,” Barbie Hsu continued to solidify her position as a major star in both film and television, with roles in The Ghost Inside, Summer’s Desire, Silk, Connected, Corner with Love, Reign of Assassins, Adventure of the King, and My So Called Love.
According to ETtoday, the 2000s were considered Barbie Hsu’s golden decade. Top-tier stars from China’s entertainment industry, such as Huang Xiaoming, Vic Chou, Eddie Peng, Louis Koo, Peter Ho, and Jerry Yan, all worked with her during this time.
Barbie Hsu also achieved significant success in her acting career, winning Best Actress at the Shanghai International Film Festival for “Corner with Love.” In the film industry, she was nominated for Best Actress at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2008 for “Connected.”
In 2006, Barbie Hsu made her international film debut with the horror film “Silk,” which was showcased at the 59th Cannes Film Festival.
Beauty Icon of the Era
According to Sent, Barbie Hsu was dubbed Taiwan’s national treasure. She was praised for her sweet, delicate beauty and alluring figure.
Barbie Hsu’s fair skin, slender body, and captivating aura created the ideal standard of beauty for women in the 2000s. In 2005, she released a beauty book called “Beauty King,” which sold more than 800,000 copies, with seven reprints in just two weeks.
On the show “Kangsi Coming”, Barbie Hsu shared that she was first invited into the showbiz world at the age of 14 but declined due to her less-than-ideal appearance at the time, with darker skin. To transform herself and pursue her artistic passion, Barbie Hsu trained rigorously, caring for her body with strict discipline.
She admitted to being obsessed with her appearance, feeling insecure about having darker skin, an asymmetrical face, a humped back, and excess body fat. This led Barbie Hsu to pay great attention to her looks.
Her success after achieving fair skin motivated her to work harder on dieting and exercising. She accepted extreme beauty methods, even self-inflicting harm, to perfect her appearance.
Barbie Hsu shared that she maintained the habit of avoiding sweets and did high-intensity workouts for over ten years to achieve her perfect figure for her career. She kept her weight at 45 kg. Barbie Hsu also mentioned that she avoided black-colored foods and prohibited her manager from accepting roles that involved filming in the summer, to maintain her pale, rosy skin.
After giving birth to her second son in 2016, Barbie Hsu gained weight and reached 79 kg. In an interview, she confessed that she didn’t dare go outside for months and even announced a break from acting due to her body image insecurities. “I won’t return to showbiz until I lose weight,” she said.
Determined Personality and Scandalous Private Life
ETtoday describes Barbie Hsu as the “steel woman” of the entertainment industry, known for her strong-willed personality. Her mother shared that no one could control Barbie Hsu, “Once she decides to do something, not even heaven can stop her. Her words are the law of the jungle. Even I fear my daughter.”
Barbie Hsu’s bold personality has also led her to take risks in her love life. She loves passionately, often making emotional decisions that shock her family and managers. Her romantic history has frequently made headlines.
After her divorce from businessman Wang Xiaofei, Barbie Hsu remarried DJ Koo (Koo Jun Yup), a former boyfriend from over 20 years ago. The couple chose not to have a wedding and decided to have children together.
On the show “You Quiz On The Block,” Koo Jun Yup mentioned that both families supported their marriage. His mother was particularly fond of Barbie Hsu and looked forward to meeting her soon.
According to ETtoday, Barbie Hsu’s manager revealed that they were coordinating her schedule. The goal was to allow her to visit Korea to reunite with DJ Koo and meet his family. “We are working on balancing her work and family commitments. At the moment, Barbie Hsu is unable to visit her husband’s home country.”
Barbie Hsu had caused a stir when she married after just 20 days of acquaintance. She dated businessman Wang Xiaofei four times. She also accepted Vic Chou’s proposal only two months after ending her relationship with actor Blue Lan.
