Cover Each F4 member created his own definition of success (Photo: @binmusic.ig/Instagram)
Each F4 member created his own definition of success (Photo: @binmusic.ig/Instagram)
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Which F4 member reigns supreme? We’re breaking down the careers of Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu 25 years after F4 and ‘Meteor Garden’
When F4—or, at least, F3—reunited for the F Forever concerts, the nostalgia was immediate. So too was the question that has followed the group since Meteor Garden first aired in 2001: which member built the most successful career?
The answer, however, depends entirely on how success is measured.
Over the past quarter-century, Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu have taken dramatically different paths. One became one of Asia’s enduring romantic leading men. Another quietly transformed into an award-calibre prestige actor. One built a career that stretched across music, dance, fashion and entrepreneurship. Another stepped away from the spotlight almost entirely.
Financial figures are notoriously difficult to verify, particularly for Taiwanese entertainers whose earnings often come from a mix of acting, endorsements, concerts, business ventures and private investments. Publicly available estimates vary widely, so any reported net worths should be viewed as approximations rather than definitive figures.
Instead of declaring a single winner, here’s our F4 Success Index—looking at wealth, career longevity, awards, cultural impact and star power to see how each member built a very different legacy.
In case you missed it: Between ‘Meteor Garden’ and F Forever: 12 F4 projects you missed over the last 25 years
Jerry Yan is the commercial king
If success is measured by sheer star power, Jerry Yan, also known as Dao Ming Shi, remains the undisputed face of F4.
More than two decades after Meteor Garden, he is still the member casual viewers most readily associate with the group. While many early-2000s idols struggled to outgrow their breakout roles, Yan successfully reinvented himself as one of Asia’s enduring romantic leading men through dramas such as The Hospital (2006), Count Your Lucky Stars (2020) and The Forbidden Flower (2023). His popularity has translated into remarkable commercial longevity, with leading roles, fan meetings across Asia, reunion concerts and endorsement deals continuing well into his late 40s.
His long-lasting commercial appeal has also made him a favourite of premium brands. Throughout his career, Yan has fronted campaigns for luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co, alongside numerous regional endorsements spanning beauty (recently Bobbi Brown), fashion, telecommunications and consumer products. Combined with acting salaries, concert revenues, music royalties and appearance fees, those partnerships have fueled reported fortunes generally estimated in the tens of millions of US dollars. However, no official figure has ever been publicly confirmed.
Interestingly, Yan’s trophy cabinet isn't as extensive as some of his bandmates’. His greatest achievement has never been collecting awards—it has been remaining commercially relevant for 25 years. In entertainment, sustained demand can be just as valuable as critical acclaim.
Vic Chou is a prestige powerhouse
While Yan became F4’s biggest commercial brand, Vic Chou quietly became its most decorated actor.
Rather than chasing blockbuster popularity, Chou deliberately pivoted toward prestige television. Past Meteor Garden and Poor Prince (2001), he built an impressive résumé with acclaimed productions like Black & White (2009), Danger Zone (2021) and The World Between Us: After the Flames (2025). The gamble paid off. In 2013, he won the Golden Bell Award for Best Actor—Taiwan’s highest television acting honour—for Coming Home (2012), making him the only F4 member to claim the industry’s most prestigious acting prize.
His reported earnings come primarily from premium television productions, acting fees, endorsements and carefully selected public appearances. Some of his curated appearances include events for Loro Piana and Dior. Over the years, he has also represented brands in the automotive, electronics, skincare and luxury lifestyle sectors, reflecting his evolution from teen idol to sophisticated leading man.
Chou’s reported fortune may not rival Yan’s commercial empire, but his career demonstrates another definition of success entirely. While one became the most popular F4 member, Chou earned something arguably harder to achieve: lasting respect from critics, directors and award juries.
Vanness Wu has become the ultimate multi-hyphenate
If success is measured by diversification, no F4 member comes close to Vanness Wu.
Rather than relying solely on acting, Wu built multiple careers simultaneously. He has enjoyed success as a recording artist, international touring performer, actor, fashion personality, entrepreneur and reality television star. His role as a team captain on Street Dance of China (2019) introduced him to an entirely new generation of viewers, while collaborations in music and fashion expanded his reach far beyond the traditional drama audience.
That versatility translated into equally diverse income streams. In addition to television dramas and concert tours, Wu has reportedly earned from music royalties, endorsement campaigns, fashion collaborations, television judging and business ventures. His image as both performer and style icon has attracted partnerships with sportswear, streetwear and luxury fashion brands throughout his career.
While his past marriage to Singaporean entrepreneur Arissa Cheo previously kept him in the headlines, Wu made waves in June 2026 by announcing his surprise second marriage to Japanese singer Emi Aramaki, proving that his personal life remains as vibrant and globally followed as his multi-hyphenate career.
Unlike Yan, whose greatest asset is name recognition, or Chou, whose legacy is built on awards, Wu’s greatest accomplishment is arguably adaptability. Few Asian idols have successfully transformed themselves into genuine multi-hyphenates with careers spanning so many different industries.
See more: Vanness Wu enters a new era with his first English solo album, ‘Take a Ride’
Ken Chu opts for quiet reinvention
Ken Chu may have accumulated the fewest headlines, but he arguably made the most intentional career choices.
Following the height of F4 mania, Chu gradually stepped away from relentless celebrity culture. He chose projects more selectively and embraced a quieter public life. He explored everything from historical dramas like The Legend of Chu Liuxiang (2007) to the Filipino romance Batanes: Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan (2007), while later branching into livestreaming, digital content and entrepreneurial ventures.
Unlike his bandmates, Chu never aggressively pursued the luxury-brand ambassador circuit or built his career around blockbuster visibility. His reported earnings instead stem from acting, music, online content creation and smaller-scale entertainment projects. In recent years, he has also spoken candidly about simplifying his lifestyle and rejecting the idea that success should be measured solely by wealth or fame.
Financially, Chu is likely the most modest earner of the four. Yet the overwhelming reaction to his absence from the F Forever reunion proved something that cannot be captured on a balance sheet: legacy. His most valuable currency? It’s the affection fans continue to hold decades after the spotlight has faded.
Sasha Lim-Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila, she also covers entertainment and dining, as well as a broad range of topics. She was the former digital editor at Esquire Philippines and was the digital managing editor at Spot.ph, and now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
