Taiwan
- "Wealth is only skin-deep and it hinders Si from making friends. He had no friends before Xi Men, Lei, and Mei Zuo. It made him a proud man, difficult to get along with. It might also be attributed to the way I handled him. As a girl, I returned violence with violence. Though I'm hard on him, I love him a lot."
- —Zhuang to Shan Cai[src]
Dao Ming Zhuang (Chinese: 道明莊; pinyin: Dàomíng Zhuāng) was the older sister of Dao Ming Si. She was the only daughter of Dao Ming Feng and Cheng. After marrying her husband, she moved to Switzerland and then the United States. Zhuang returned to Taipei to help her brother and Dong Shan Cai, whose relationship she supported.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Zhuang was born into the wealthy Dao Ming family as the first child of her parents, Feng and Cheng. Her parents were co-presidents of Dao Ming Group and lived in New York.[4] Zhuang and her younger brother, Si, lived in Taipei. His sister's influence shaped much of Si's personality.[5] At some point, she left Taiwan to study aboard.[6]
Young adulthood[]
Zhuang graduated in the sixteenth class of Ying De Academy.[3] At some point, her mother forced her to break up with her boyfriend in order to make a more prospective match for Dao Ming Group.[7] After marrying her husband sometime in 2000, she resided in Switzerland[8] before moving to the United States.[3]
Helping Si and Shan Cai[]
Zhuang argues with her brother Si
- Feng: "I don't want him to waste time making mistakes."
- Zhuang: "His greatest mistake would be to be like me and listen to you, Mom. All these years, I can't help but blame myself because I did not fight for my own love. I allowed you to manipulate my life. I married a hotel magnate to help you build your career. This is a regret I can never reconcile with. I don't want Si to be like me."
- — Zhuang stands up to her mother[src]
In 2001, Liu, the Dao Mings butler, contacted Zhuang to ask her to return to Taiwan. Si had had his heart broken by his first love, Dong Shan Cai, and had become destructive. The day of her arrival, Zhuang woke up Si in the middle of the night. The next morning, Zhuang brought Shan Cai to the mansion to talk.[5] The following day, Zhuang cornered Chen Qing He who told her about Si's plans to have Shan Cai and Hua Ze Lei expelled. She thwarted his plans and instead suggested a basketball match to settle things. Zhuang acted as referee. Si, whose team was winning, ended up quitting at the last second. The following day, Si told Zhuang about his decision to join their parents in New York. Zhuang later boarded the plane with Si. He attempted to get off before it took off, but Zhuang stopped him with a punch.[3]
When Si inevitably returned to Taiwan, Zhuang sent word to the F4, who immediately went to his house.[9] Some months later, Zhuang contacted Xi Men and Mei Zuo, asking them to support Si and Shan Cai in their relationship. She hoped that they would not be "manipulated [by Feng] like she was."[10] After being contacted by Si's friends, Zhuang returned to Taiwan once again to help Si. She discovered that Si was starving himself due to their mother forcing him to marry He Yuan Zi. Zhuang praised her brother for becoming a more "mature man." When Shan Cai joined his fast, Zhuang criticized her mother and eventually revealed that she regretted not fighting for her love in the past. In the morning, a servant informed Zhuang that her mother had returned to New York and called off Si's wedding.[2]
Physical appearance[]
Zhuang was a pretty and sophisticated woman. She had long black hair, almost the length of Shan Cai's hair, and dark brown eyes. Zhuang wore trendy, fashionable clothes that were presumably name brand.
Personality and traits[]
Despite being a kind and caring person, Zhuang had a tendency towards violence. She took the tough love approach when dealing with her younger brother, saying "As a girl, I returned violence with violence." Zhuang admitted that this was probably not the best way to handle Si. Nevertheless, she was very fond of her brother and looked after his best interests. She had a distant relationship with her parents. Zhuang showed some resentment towards her mother, whom forced her apart from boyfriend. Overall, she was a considerate and a fun to be around person despite her cold upbringing.
Etymology[]
Her surname, Dao Ming (道明) contains the first two characters from her manga counterpart's surname. 道 means "way," "path," or "road,"[11] and 明 means "bright," "clear," or "manifest."[12] Her first name, Zhuang (莊), has no correlation to her manga counterpart. It has various meanings, including "villa," "village," "main road," etc.[13]
Behind the scenes[]
Portrayal
- See also: Category:Tsubaki Domyoji portrayals
- Zhuang is portrayed by the late Mary Hsu in the Taiwanese drama, Meteor Garden (2001).[14]
Character notes
- On the official website, her given name is incorrectly spelled (樁).[15]
Appearances[]
| Meteor Garden (2001) | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |||
| (First mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Debut) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | ||||
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 19 | ||||
| (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | |||||
| Meteor Garden II (2002) | ||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||
| (Mentioned) | ||||||||||
References[]
- ↑ Episode 10, Meteor Garden
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 19, Meteor Garden
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Episode 7, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 3, Meteor Garden
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Episode 6, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 17, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 11, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 2, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 8, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 12, Meteor Garden
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/道
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/明
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/莊
- ↑ https://kknews.cc/news/56m9r3.html (Chinese)
- ↑ [1] (Chinese)
See also[]