- "I had served the company for over twenty years, but my boss just told me to go. I'm at a loss now! A middle-aged man without a job. I'm useless! I'm a good-for-nothing!"
- —Dong after losing his job[src]
Dong (Chinese: 董; pinyin: Dǒng) was the father of Shan Cai and the husband of his wife, Ah Yue. The pair had been married for over twenty years. Dong was a junior officer at a company since around the time he married his wife. He was later fired from his job. Dong and his wife temporarily moved to a fishing village, but they eventually returned to Taipei.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Dong grew up poor and often had to sell his own blood for money. At one point, he was hospitalized for anemia after selling too much blood.[2] Dong, at one point, dreamed of becoming a compère.[1]
Adult life[]
Dong married his wife, Ah Yue, around the same time he began working as a junior officer at a company around 1981. The two had one daughter together named Shan Cai.[1]
Shan Cai at Ying De[]
- "Shan Cai, it's my fault. I've let you down. Your mother is right. Let's divorce. Don't let me, a useless man, be a liability to you!"
- —Dong feels remorse for borrowing money from a loan shark[src]
Twenty years later, Dong had not received a promotion in all that time. Per Yue's wishes, Shan Cai enrolled at Ying De Academy, which cost the family a considerable amount in tuition. One day, she suggested leaving the school which distressed Yue. She then argued with Dong for several minutes until Shan Cai agreed to continue at Ying De. A few days later, Dong watched his daughter eat four bowls of rice. He asked if something was wrong, to which she said "I have to eat more to replenish my energy." She then departed and Dong complained to his wife about her eating all of the rice.[1] Some days later, Shan Cai was not eating so Dong took her fish against the advice of his wife. Shan Cai later developed a fever and had to stay home. Dong began eating the porridge his wife had given her. Yue yelled at him.[2]
The same day, the family was visited by Shan Cai's classmate, Dao Ming Si. When Shan Cai said that Si had been bullying her, Dong began shouting at him and calling him names. However, after learning his father's name, he and his wife quickly became flattering towards Si and invited him to stay for dinner.[3] Several days later, Shan Cai stayed out all night and came home in the morning, which worried her parents. She assured her mother that nothing had happened. Dong and his wife rejoiced, hoping that this would be the "foundation" for a "stable relationship" between the two in the future.[4] Some days later, Si called the house to inform Shan Cai's parents about taking her on a trip to Okinawa. Dong answered the phone and was overjoyed, even joking that it would be best if she did not come home.[5]
Several days later, he was laid off from his job which he took badly. They were unable to afford the rent on their home subsequently moved into a small one-room apartment. Dong promised to find a new job quickly. However, he received no replies after sending out several applications. Dong then encouraged his wife to start working as a babysitter to help pay their bills.[6] A couple days later, he and his wife invited Si to spend the night. They slept on the balcony and listened to them fighting in the morning. That day, they were visited by the loan sharks, whom Dong had borrowed one million dollars from. He lost all of it playing the lottery. His wife declared that she wanted a divorce. Dong apologized and agreed, leading to his wife forgiving him. Shan Cai later borrowed the money from Si, settling their debts.[7]
Fishing village[]
- Dong: "We didn't tell you earlier for it might make you worried. We can't stay in Taipei anymore. Times are bad. Companies are laying off workers or winding up. I... I can't get a job."
- Ah Yue: "I have a friend who's a fisherman living in the country. He asked if we wanted to work for him."
- — Dong and Ah Yue break the news to Shan Cai[src]
After some time, Dong was still unable to find a job in Taipei. His wife had a friend from a fishing village whom invited them to come work and live there. They thought it over for a week before deciding to go. They finally let Shan Cai know that they were going without her. She was dubious about her father's ability to become a fisherman, though he tried to appear confident. Dong promised that they would come back as soon as they were able.[8] Unfortunately, he was a failure as a fisherman since he frequently became seasick. They earned very little and were unable to send any money to Shan Cai.[9] Dong and his wife quickly accumulated a large amount of debt. To save face, they often boasted about their rich future "son-in-law." One day, Shan Cai came to visit them. They were delighted to see her.[10]
Shortly into Shan Cai's visit, the villagers confronted Dong and his wife about their debts. They also accused Shan Cai of being close to Ah Song. The arguing escalated when the villagers pushed them to where Shan Cai and Ah Song were. Ah Yue promised to pay them back in a day. At that point, Shan Cai confessed to her parents that she and Si had broken up. The next day, Dong took the lead in apologizing to the villagers. They were cut short by the arrival of Hua Ze Lei and Chen Qing He. Lei paid off their debts immediately, resulting in the villagers treating the Dongs' nicely again. Later the same day, Dong and his wife said goodbye to Shan Cai, whom decided to return to Taipei with Lei and Qing He.[11] Sometime later, Dong's fishing skills had improved and Ah Yue brought a fish he had caught to Shan Cai.[12]
Return to Taipei[]
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Physical appearance[]
Dong was a slightly overweight, middle-aged father. He had jet black hair, a similar color to his daughter's. His hair was cut close to the scalp on the sides and just a little longer on top.
Personality and traits[]
Dong was shown to be very loud and often told jokes that no one understood or laughed at. He was not very ambitious, which disappointed his wife, who wished for him to be promoted. Despite this and almost constant bickering, they had a good relationship and were very affectionate toward each other. His dream was to be rich through his daughter marrying into a wealthy family.
Etymology[]
His surname, Dong (董),[13] is a common surname originating from China.[14] The character means "to direct" or "supervise."[15] Additionally, the surname comes from the actor who plays him.
Behind the scenes[]
Portrayal
- See also: Category:Haruo Makino portrayals
- He is portrayed by Taiwanese actor and television host, Dong Zhi Cheng in Meteor Garden (2001)[16] and Meteor Garden II (2002).[17]
Character notes
- Dong is credited as "Shan Cai's Father" (杉菜爸).
Appearances[]
Meteor Garden (2001) | |||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
(Debut) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | (Mentioned) | ||||||
11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 17 | |||||
(Mentioned) | (Mentioned) |
Meteor Garden II (2002) | ||||||||||
1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 11 | ||||||
13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 21 | |||||
30 | ||||||||||
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Episode 1, Meteor Garden
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 2, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 3, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 4, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 5, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 7, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 8, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 11, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 12, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 14, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 15, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 17, Meteor Garden
- ↑ Episode 14, Meteor Garden II
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dǒng
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/董
- ↑ http://www.cts.com.tw:80/prog/drama/meteorgarden/fp02.htm (Chinese)
- ↑ http://f4.tv/mg/mg2/cast.html (Japanese)
See also[]