I recently travelled to Taiwan with my mom to celebrate a new start in her life. Based on my planned itinerary, we were just supposed to tour around Taipei, but somehow, we ended up visiting Meteor Garden filming locations in Chiayi province, an hour and a half away from the capital via the high-speed rail.
We arrived at Taoyuan International Airport past midnight. We got on a taxi and the driver started playing OPM songs after learning that we were from the Philippines. However, I politely asked him if he could play some Taiwanese songs. He then said in broken English to connect my phone via Bluetooth. I played Qing Fei De Yi and Ni Yao De Ai and I started singing along, of course. This should have been my first sign.
My friends who were also travelling in Taiwan invited us to join them on their tour in Chiayi. I grabbed the chance to visit the province, which I know is one of the filming locations of Meteor Garden. We rode the HSR train from Taipei Main Station that took us to Chiayi, and rode a bus to National Chung Cheng University where 80-90% of the school scenes were filmed.
I am telling you, being a fan, the experience was incredible!
20 years ago, Meteor Garden was aired in the Philippines. It was a sensation! Meteor Garden Mania was born!
I was only 14 when I was infatuated with the calm and quiet Huaze Lei, although I also secretly pined for the childish Dao Ming Si. I would rush home from school and wait for the program, afraid to miss a single second of the opening song.
Last night’s episode will be the topic of conversation in school the next day. A friend would even ask trivia like Dao Ming Si’s plate number or Shancai’s locker number.
In NCCU, you are free to roam around as it is one of the tourist attractions in the province. However, just be mindful of the students studying there. The lockers and the cafeteria are located in the library, so no squealing!
If you are one of the 90’s kids or “Batang 90’s”, visiting the Meteor Garden filming locations in Chiayi is highly recommended.
