Who says that only Taiwanese will have a craze for Korean or Japanese Idol Drama? Recently, with the popularization of the Taiwanese Idol Drama “Meteor Garden” in Japan, Carrie Chang Fine Arts Center of TKU, one of the important scenes in that particular idol drama, has received many calls from travel agencies for paying a visit.

Surrounded by green trees, with a French window as its exterior, Carrie Chang Fine Arts Center of TKU has an aura of romance and literature, and thus has attracted many film-makers to take a view. Recently, “Meteor Garden” makes its debut in Japanese national broadcast, and wins the hearts of Japanese audiences. As one of the cinematic attractions, TKU has been associated by travel agents as “F4’s school.” Carrie Chang Fine Arts Center, the place where the main characters often stay, has become a regular scenic spot for many tourists. The staff of the Fine Arts Center, Yang Ching-yi, declares that, in fact, as early as last semester, there were already three or four tourist groups came to visit the Art Center.

“They even asked me if we have souvenirs for sell.” Yang says with a somewhat embarrassed smile. She continues to say that most of the tourists are female, of different ages, who almost dance with joy when they entered the Art Center. These tourists all feel very disappointed once they realize they cannot buy any souvenirs in the Art Center. Sometimes Yang also has to serve as a guide to explain to the Japanese visitors how the main actor and actress in the drama perform here and how many “NGs” they got while shooting the series. Some of the most frequently asked questions by these Japanese fans are about “Will Meteor Garden II be shot here too?” or “Am I standing on the spot where Taomingsu (the main actor) stood in the TV drama?”

Next time when you see a bunch of girls elbowing against each other for taking pictures on a certain spot in front of Carrie Chang Fine Arts Center, you shouldn’t hesitate to greet these tourists. (~ Amanda Yen )