Shiyuan "Barbie" Hsu (Chinese: 徐熙媛; pinyin: Xú Xīyuán; 6 October 1976 – 2 February 2025), also known by her stage name Big S (大S; Dà S),^[1] was a Taiwanese actress, singer, and television host.^[2] She was best known for her leading role in the two seasons of the television series Meteor Garden (2001–2002). Hsu ranked 33rd on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 in 2010,^[3] 16th in 2011,^[4] and 45th in 2012.^[5]

Hsu was born on 6 October 1976 to Hsu Chien and Huang Chun-mei in Taipei as the second child of three sisters.^[6][7][8] She had an elder sister, Hsu Si-hsien, and a younger sister, Dee Hsu.^[9]

Hsu's paternal family owned a jeweler's shop in Taipei, founded by her paternal grandfather, a waishengren from Tancheng County, Shandong, for over 60 years until its closure in 2018.^[10][11] When she was young, her mother, a benshengren originally working as a waitress at the restaurant next to the Hsus' shop before marriage, separated from Hsu's father due to pressure from his family on her to bear a son, along with his infidelity, domestic abuse, alcoholism and gambling. Hsu's mother raised her three daughters by working as a real estate broker but did not officially divorce Hsu's father until the late 2000s, after Barbie and Dee agreed to pay off their father's gambling debt.^[12][13] Their mother acted as a spokesperson and partial manager throughout their career, while their father, who maintained a good relationship with his daughters after he had given up drinking, died from liver cancer in 2012 at the age of 59.^[14]

In 1994, Barbie and Dee enrolled at Taipei Hwa Kang Arts School, after Barbie had spent a year at the National Kuo Kuang Academy of Arts, whose military-style discipline prompted her to drop out. At Hwa Kang, the sisters befriended classmates Pace Wu, Aya Liu, and three others, forming a close-knit group known as the “Seven Fairies.”^[15] After four of them entered the entertainment industry, they grew close to three fellow artists—Christine Fan, Mavis Fan, and Makiyo Kawashima—who were later also widely associated with the name “Seven Fairies.”^[16]

At age 11, Hsu made her first film appearance with a cameo in The Sea Plan (1987), after which she appeared in several advertisements. While attending Hwa Kang, her sister Dee was approached for an audition for a commercial with Chou Chuan-huing. When Barbie accompanied Dee to the audition, they were discovered by Chou's label, Famous Records (神采唱片), which first signed Barbie and then signed Dee as well. However, before their debut, contractual disputes arose, as the sisters’ playful personalities clashed with Famous Records founder Chen Kuo-Chin's vision of a more innocent image for them. As a result, their first album, Zhan Ling Nian Qing (佔領年輕), was shelved for two years.^[17] By the time of its release in 1994, Chen intended to name the duo Do Bi Do Wa (嘟比嘟哇) after one of their songs, "Do Bi Do Wa," but Hsu sought help from the album's producer, Bing Wang, who renamed them S.O.S. (Sisters of Shiu), a name that also led to their respective stage names, Big S and Little S.^[18]

The duo gained popularity in 1995 with their hit song "Ten-Minute Love" (十分鐘的戀愛) from their second album Best of S.O.S., but their following albums received little notice. In 1996, with their music career slumped, they started co-hosting the variety show Guess with Lung Shao-hua and caught the attention of TV producer and manager Wang Wei-Zhong, known as Taiwan's "Godfather of Variety Shows." Wang approached them after they had opened a clothing store and prepared to leave the industry. After terminating their contract with Chen, whose agency banned them from releasing albums under their original group name, they rebranded as A.S.O.S. [zh] (All Sisters of Shiu) and signed with Wang's Golden Star Entertainment.^[17] Following this, the duo shifted their career focus from singing to hosting. They co-hosted variety show Guess (1996–2000) with Lung Shao-hua and then Jacky Wu, respectively; entertainment news program 100% Entertainment (1998–2005)^[19]; variety show Weekend Three Precious Fun (週末三寶Fun) (2001) with Harlem Yu^[20]; and cooking show Gourmet Secrets of the Stars  [zh] (2007–2008).^[21][22] The duo ended their management partnership with Wang Wei-Zhong and established their own studios in 2010.^[23]

As hosts, the duo was known for their casual, intimate, and authentic style, underpinned by a sharp sense of humor, with Barbie often playing the straight man while Dee played the comic. They revitalized not only their career but also GTV with the sassy and lively 100% Entertainment, where they blurred the boundaries between their private and public lives through (over-)sharing family stories—some of the most dramatic unfolded live on the show—and thus creating reality television avant la lettre in the Chinese-speaking world. Episodes of 100% Entertainment from their tenure found a new audience on social media starting in 2019, when GTV re-aired an edited version.

Musically, after leaving Famous Records in 1997, they mainly focused on hosting and did not release an album for four years, until Pervert Girls (變態少女) in 2001, their first album as A.S.O.S. but also their last as a group. They signed a one-year record deal with a relatively small label Skyhigh Entertainment in exchange for the creative carte blanche over the album, where Barbie and Dee wrote all the compositions and lyrics. Initially produced by Sandee Chan before she was replaced by Mavis Fan, the album was a gothic fantasia that was overlooked upon release, with one song, "Love You to Death" (愛你愛到死), censored in mainland China, but was later reassessed for its avant-garde experimentation and revived on social media.^[24] In 2010, Barbie, Dee, and Mavis Fan debuted Shorty Tall (小小大), a group they had contemplated forming for years, but performed only twice at the Kangsi Concert in Beijing and Shenyang that same year.^[25] Hsu sporadically released songs, such as "Diamond" (鑽石) with her own lyrics and the duet "Sweetheart" (心肝寶貝) with Richie Jen, which served as the theme songs for the TV drama Summer's Desire (2010) and the film Adventure of the King (2010), respectively. She appeared in music videos, such as Shin's “Before the Dawn” (黎明之前), Show Lo's “Self-Hypnosis” (自我催眠) and “Waist Support” (撐腰). She also wrote lyrics for other singers such as Mavis Fan, Josie Ho, and Dee. In 2015, Barbie and Dee reunited for their breakout song, “Ten-Minute Love,” at the livehouse Legacy Taipei during Dee’s first solo concert.^[26]

As an actor, Hsu rose to pan-Asian fame with her leading role of Dong Shancai in Meteor Garden (2001) along with boy group F4.^[1] Besides the Chinese-speaking world, the show brought her fame in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore^[27], with many countries shooting remakes in the following years, including Japan's Boys Over Flowers (2005), South Korea's Boys Over Flowers (2009), America's Boys Before Friends (2013), and India's Kaisi Yeh Yaariaan (2014–).^[28] The show earned her a nomination for the Best Actress at the 36th Golden Bell Awards and is credited with ushering in the idol drama genre and the golden era of Taiwanese TV shows.^[29][30] After a sequel Meteor Garden II (2002), where she reprised the role of Shancai, Hsu went on to star in TV dramas such as Eternity: A Chinese Ghost Story (2003), Mars (2004), where she reunited with F4 member Vic Chou, Corner with Love (2007), and Summer's Desire (2010), becoming known as the first "Queen of Idol Dramas."^[31]

Hsu transitioned into films later in her career but found less success compared to television, with her performances and bankability as a movie star often questioned.^[32][33] Her first starring role in a feature film came with the Chinese horror film The Ghost Inside (2005), followed by the Taiwanese films Silk (2006) and My So-Called Love (2008). She broke into Hong Kong film industry with Connected (2008), a remake of the Hollywood thriller Cellular (2004), for which she received a nomination for the Best Actress at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards.^[34] With subsequent films such as Hot Summer Days (2010), Future X-Cops (2010), Reign of Assassins (2010), and Croczilla (2012), she became one of the few actresses whose film career spanned Greater China, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China.

In addition to acting, Hsu published a beauty guide Beauty Queen (美容大王) in 2004, followed by a sequel in 2007. Both books became bestsellers across the Chinese-speaking world, though some of the beauty ideals and techniques they introduced were subject to re-evaluation in later years. Among the many beauty tips she popularized were the "red wine facial mask" and the use of the hair-loss treatment Rogaine to thicken eyebrows.^[35][36] She co-wrote SOS Chao Meng Qing Chun (SOS超猛青春; 1996) and SOS Tokyo Shopping Map (SOS東京拚裝大地圖; 1998) with Dee, the former about their teenage years and the latter a Japanese fashion and travel guide. She also published Penny Dreadful (蝴蝶飛了; 2005), a collection of poems,^[37] and Lao Niang Jia Dao (老娘駕到; 2015), a memoir about motherhood for her first child.^[38]

After marrying Chinese entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei in 2011, she retreated from acting, with several attempts to return in the following years thwarted by pregnancy, health issues, and the declining opportunities for middle-aged actresses.^[39][40][41] She continued to appear in variety shows and advertisements. From 2011 to 2012, she served as a stand-in host for Dee during the latter's maternity leave on the variety-comedy talk show Kangsi Coming, where Barbie also frequently appeared as a guest over the years.^[42] In 2018, she made her final film appearance, reprising her role as Elastigirl as a voice actress in Taiwan's dubbed version of Pixar’s Incredibles 2.^[43] That same year, she hosted Chinese variety show Miss Beauty (Season 1) and participated in the marriage reality show Happiness Trio (幸福三重奏) with her then husband Wang Xiaofei.^[44] In 2019, she participated in Season 2 of Chinese reality dating series Dream Space (戀夢空間) as a commentator and in the Chinese travelogue series We Are Real Friends (我們是真正的朋友) with Dee, Mavis Fan and Aya Liu.^[45][46] She also co-produced Dee's Talk [zh] (2021–2022) hosted by Dee.^[47]

Hsu was known for her high-profile love life as one of the few celebrities in Asia who were open about their relationships. She dated Blackie Chen for seven years starting in high school, after which they remained close friends.^[48][49] She dated South Korean singer Koo Jun-yup, member of Clon, from late 1998 to 2000. They broke up due to the "dating ban" by Koo's agency.^[50][51][52] She dated actor Lan Cheng-lung from 2001 to 2005,^[53][54] followed by a two-year relationship with actor Vic Chou until early 2008.^[55][48][56]

On November 16, 2010, after a whirlwind romance in which they had met four times, Hsu married Chinese entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei, the son of Zhang Lan, founder of the restaurant group South Beauty, in Beijing. They held their wedding banquet in Sanya, Hainan on 22 March 2011.^[57] Just four days before their wedding, Hsu underwent surgery following a miscarriage, which prevented her from making the highly anticipated wedding accessible to the media—a decision that led to a PR crisis, as the media remained unaware of the reason until she revealed it in 2024.^[58][59]

Hsu’s "flash marriage" left a surprisingly long-lasting legacy in the Chinese media landscape. In November 2010, the intense discussions of her marriage in the "Kangsi Coming Group" on Douban led to a splinter group, the "Gossip Coming Group," specifically centered on the event. Over time, it grew into one of the most active and chaotic forums on the Chinese Internet and was rebranded as the "Goose Group" in 2018 until the government ban in 2022.^[60] Zhang Lan, Hsu's mother-in-law, falsely claimed that the wedding was sponsored by Wanda Group, prompting Wang Sicong, son of Wanda's founder, to publicly refute her claims and rise to prominence as a high-profile personality over the following decade, during which he often mocked Hsu and Wang.^[61] Charles Zhang, CEO of Sohu and a wedding guest, live-blogged the private event without permission on Sohu's microblogging platform to drive traffic in the microblogging turf war, sparking a feud with the couple that lasted until his reconciliation with Wang Xiaofei in 2015. After Zhang Lan‘s account was banned by Douyin in 2025 following her prolonged misinformation campagaign against Hsu, Charles invited her to Sohu's livestreaming platform in the new round of the livestreaming turf war.^[62]

After Hsu married Wang, she stopped her vegetarianism of 13 years, which she had adopted in hopes of her pet dog recovering from an illness; according to Hsu, Wang's mother influenced her to give up vegetarianism so that she could bear children.^[22] Hsu and Wang had two children: a daughter born in April 2014 and a son born in May 2016.^[63] In 2017, Wang opened the S Hotel in Taipei, which was named after "Big S" with a budget of NT$350 million and was closed in August 2024.^[64][65] In 2018, Hsu underwent surgery following her second miscarriage, eight days before she began filming the marriage reality show Happiness Trio with Wang.^[66][59]

In the late 2010s, Hsu and Wang's marriage had been increasingly beset by rumors of Wang's affairs and his outspoken nationalism regarding China's unification with Taiwan. In February 2021, Hsu requested a divorce and initiated negotiations with Wang, who sought reconciliation. They briefly reconciled until June, when during China's zero-Covid period reports emerged that two passengers had tested positive for COVID-19 in Xiamen after departing from Taiwan—one of whom had been allowed to board by Taiwan's Uni Air despite a positive test result^[67]—prompting Wang to harshly criticize on Weibo Taiwan's pandemic policies, shortage of vaccinations affecting his family in Taipei, as well as the island's growing pro-independence and anti-China sentiment, referring to some Taiwanese as "hanjian."^[68] Hsu then disclosed to Taiwanese media that she was divorcing Wang, whose remarks she declined to comment on, though both Wang and Hsu's mother denied the divorce then.^[69] On November 22, 2021, Hsu and Wang officially announced their divorce.^[70][71]

After her divorce, Hsu and Koo Jun-yup rekindled their relationship. They registered their marriage on February 8, 2022, in South Korea and on March 28 in Taiwan without a wedding ceremony, except for matching wedding ring tattoos by Koo.^{[50][51][52][72]} In November 2022, Hsu sought enforcement of spousal maintenance at the Taipei District Court against Wang, claiming he had failed to honor their divorce agreement since March of that year. Triggered by Hsu’s legal action, Wang took their dispute public by disclosing their divorce terms and financial details, as well as harshly attacking Hsu and her family—including Koo, Dee and Dee's husband—on Weibo. Wang claimed that he continued to pay child support and Hsu’s personal maintenance but no longer wished to cover her family expenses—primarily the electricity bill for the house where Hsu and Koo lived—after Hsu remarried. He also accused Hsu of spending millions of New Taiwan dollars each month on luxury goods using his credit card post-divorce, including buying gifts for Koo, which Hsu denied, and parts of the outfit she wore in her remarriage photos with him.^[73][74]

In the following years, Hsu and Wang were embroiled in a high-profile legal battle, marked by bitter online exchanges and sparking wide-ranging public discussions on sexism, misinformation, and cross-strait relations.^[75] Meanwhile, Wang repeatedly proposed remarriage but was rejected by Hsu.^[76] Both accused the other of infidelity and domestic abuse during their marriage.^{[77][78][79][80]} Wang and his mother, Zhang, accused Barbie and Dee of abusing drugs and supporting Taiwan independence,^[81][82][83] which the sisters denied,^[84] while Hsu claimed that Wang owed her over NT$100 million, which she had lent to him in 2018 for his business.^[85][86] In August 2023, Hsu sued Wang and his mother for defamation.^[87] In March 2024, when asked whether their highly publicized divorce—sometimes seen as a symbolic end of the honeymoon period in cross-strait relations over the past decade—would worsen relations, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office commented, “People on both sides of the strait are one family, and cross-strait marriages bring us even closer.” However, regarding the “rare cases of failed marriages,” the parties involved should “part on good terms and go their separate ways in peace.”^[88]

At the time of Hsu's death on 2 February 2025, the second hearing of the case over dividing the matrimonial assets was to be heard on 27 February 2025.^[89]

Hsu was known for her interest in beauty treatments, particularly hair care, skin whitening, and weight loss. She earned the nickname "Beauty Queen" after her best-selling beauty guide series of the same name. An avid shopaholic, she boasted a collection of over 700 pairs of high heels.^[90] Hsu was a fan of sci-fi, the supernatural and the UFOs and a member of Taiwan UFOlogy Society, with a tattoo of hexagram on the back of her neck as the symbol of Raëlism.^[91][92] Hsu was a lifelong fan of Takuya Kimura since junior high school, inspiring her to learn Japanese and briefly pursue a career in Japan.^[93]

Hsu was an active supporter of charity over the years, particularly advocating for women's and children's rights, LGBT rights, and animal rights.^[94][95][96] She was one of the first major celebrities to collaborate with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.^[97]

Hsu was one of the first Taiwanese celebrities to publicly discuss mental health, including her battle with depression in 2000, from which she recovered after one year. She also had a long history of anorexia. Hsu experienced two miscarriages. In 2011, she had to terminate her pregnancy due to fetal demise, and in 2018, while pregnant with her third child, she underwent a miscarriage procedure after the embryo stopped developing. In 2017, after being hospitalized following a fainting episode, Hsu revealed that she had a pre-existing condition of mitral valve prolapse and a history of epilepsy, including a near-fatal episode during the birth of her son in 2016.^[98][99]

On 29 January 2025, Hsu traveled to Japan with her family during the Chinese New Year holiday where she caught influenza.^{[100][101][102]} She died in Tokyo on 2 February, at the age of 48. The cause of death, according to her family, was pneumonia stemming from influenza complications.^[103][104] Some reports speculated septic shock, which can also be caused by pneumonia.^{[disputed – discuss][105][106]} The news of her death led to a surge in demand for influenza vaccinations in Taiwan and other parts of Asia.^{[107][108][109]} Hsu's remains were cremated in Japan, and her ashes were returned to Taiwan on a chartered flight on 5 February. Her family said no memorial would be planned due to Hsu's preference to "keep a low profile" and that she would have a tree burial according to her wishes.^[110][111]

On 3 February, Hsu's ex-husband, Wang Xiaofei, who claimed to have suffered a breakdown, along with a recurrence of depression and worsening bipolar disorder following Hsu's death, arrived in Taipei with his wife, Mandy Ma, a Taiwanese medical aesthetics consultant.^[112] That evening, Wang walked to his home in Taipei for half an hour in the rain. On 4 February, Wang left emotional messages on Douyin clips of the marriage reality show Happiness Trio featuring him and Hsu, including "My wife, I miss you" and "I'm the one who should be dead."^[113] On 7 February, Hsu's widower Koo Jun-yup issued a statement, relinquishing his share of spousal legacy to Hsu's mother while vowed to protect the shares of Hsu's two children. He also condemned Wang for "pretending to be sad while walking in the rain", saying “[p]eople are trying to tarnish my family by spreading false rumors about the insurance and expenses, causing pain to our family," referring to the misinformation that Wang had paid for the chartered flight bringing Hsu's ashes from Japan to Taiwan and that Koo had taken out a large life insurance policy on Hsu. "It’s terrifying to realize that such cruel people really exist in this world,” Koo said.^[114]

Hsu spoke about death throughout her career, shaped by her early struggles with depression and a host of health issues she had after marriage, embodying a philosophical and completely at-ease outlook. At the time of her death, her WeChat signature read: "Death is inevitable."^[115] On February 8, 2025, the first seventh-day memorial (頭七) after Hsu’s passing, family and friends gathered at her home under the theme of her "third wedding anniversary," honoring her farewell wishes by sharing cake and champagne.^[116] In one of her most quoted interviews after her passing, she said: "I came into this world to live life on fast-forward. In this lifetime, I am meant to experience what others would in eight. Once I have lived it all, I won’t need to return in the next."^[117]

As a group, Barbie and Dee have been famously referred to as "The Truman Show of Taiwan" by Kevin Tsai due to their extensive public exposure from a young age, both on and off screen, and the strong parasocial relationship they built with audiences through their variety shows. In later years, as their family matters increasingly made headlines and obssessed social media, the Hsu family was also, at times pejoratively, compared to the Kardashian family of the Chinese world.^{[118][119][120]} Barbie and Dee are especially popular among women, urban dwellers and the LGBTQ community, of which they were also among the earliest public supporters in the Chinese-speaking world, including advocating for same-sex marriage on their show in the early 2000s.^[121] On the other hand, their shows sometimes sparked controversy with their no-holds-barred topics and alleged insensitivity toward Taiwan's local traditions and culture, including glove puppetry and Southern Min dialect, which are closely associated with the pan-Green Coalition—contrasting with their pan-Blue family background.^[122]

As a public figure, Hsu was often described as "brave," "kind," "true to herself," drawing comparisons to the "chivalrous women" of kung fu films. A leader and protector of her family and friends, she was known for standing up to her father’s domestic abuse on behalf of her mother while growing up, shielding her younger sister—first in school, later in the industry—and, in one of her most well-known stories, intervening in a case of child abuse by a triad member after hearing a child crying as she passed by their home^[123]. She was also known for being "daring in love and hate," a phrase often used to characterize her high-profile romantic life and two "flash marriages." Her circle of celebrity friends and family often described her as being "ging,” a Southern Min dialect word meaning “tense and unable to relax，” reflecting her strict self-discipline and perfectionism on and off screen^[124]. Hsu's bold opinions and sharp sense of humor occasionally sparked controversy^{[125][126][127]}. As she explained one of her controversial jokes from 100% Entertainment in an interview with Kevin Tsai: “Little S told me that every time she saw me lying at home with depression, she was terrified that I might grab a knife and kill her. So I jokingly said, ‘If I were to kill someone, I’d start with mom.’ I was really just kidding, but because I happened to be struggling with depression at the time, everyone thought I actually wanted to kill my mom.”^[128]

In her remembrance, Tencent Enterteinment called her a "cyber bestie of a generation," noting the "vibrant" and "entertaining" presence she and her sister brought to the Chinese-speaking world more than two decades ago remains unrivaled^[129]. Sanlian Lifeweek called her a “queen of entertainment" while reflecting on the burdens of her relentless determination throughout her tumultuous childhood, career and marriage: "Though she never wished to reveal her struggles, never showed weakness, and never lost control in public, the experiences she endured over the years laid bare the challenges she faced as a woman [...] Beyond her iconic role as Shan Cai, her greatest performance was playing herself. If being a celebrity were a profession, she had fulfilled her duty with unwavering dedication—right up until her final moment."^[130]

Luo Beibei, a popular independent entertainment writer, observed that while Hsu’s beauty standards, as promoted in her best-selling Beauty Queen series, may be debated today, "[her] same ideas have ignited conversation in every era—that’s what it means to be truly influential. Perspectives change over time, but one thing about Hsu never did: her extraordinary will and the determination to see things through. Whatever she set her mind to, she pursued with unwavering resolve—becoming beautiful, becoming a star, love and marriage, children, family, turning domestic life into captivating storytelling… And then, divorce. Followed by a remarriage so swift and unexpected after being applauded for her divorce that the world could barely process it, when she told the world that it was a love story two decades in the making."^[131] After Hsu's death, Luo launched an online campaign calling for the ban of Zhang Lan and Wang Xiaofei’s Douyin accounts, which some credited as a contributing factor in the platform’s decision to take action.^[132]

Meng Jing, an independent entertainment writer and former reporter of Sanlian Lifeweek, noted Hsu as the "backbone" of the "last matrilineal family": "The Hsu mother and daughters spent their lives both upholding tradition and, at times, resisting it when it threatened to crush them. [...] They were not the fearless, independent heroines of empowerment narratives—there was compliance, hesitation, and entanglement. They never delivered the dramatic slaps that might have satisfied some, leaving them frustrated at their lack of defiance, while others disliked them for not fully submitting," referring to their respective matrimonial struggles, which often fueled gender debates. "But that is real life. The charm of the Hsu sisters lies in how every chapter of their lives resonates with so many people—because when a story is too triumphant, it leaves no room for you to see yourself in it.”^[133]

In February 2000, Barbie and Dee sparked controversy on their show 100% Entertainment when they talked about Legend of the Sacred Stone (2000), Taiwan's first glove puppetry film. Barbie said: “Setting aside the serious topic of whether or not to support domestic films, I personally find glove puppetry unbearably awful… Sure, it may be considered part of China’s cultural heritage, but at the end of the day, it’s just puppets! You could just pick up a doll at home and perform the same thing… I honestly hate glove puppetry! The same goes for things like shadow puppetry and marionette shows—I hate them all.” It was widely misreported that they called fans of glove puppetry "lunatics."^[134] They apologized following the backlash from fans of glove puppetry, which is closely tied to Taiwan's pan-Green Coalition in contrast to their typically waishengren, pan-Blue image.^[122]

On January 27, 2020, during the early outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when most countries prioritized domestic mask supplies and Taiwan imposed a mask export ban from 24 January to 23 February (later extending to June), Hsu and her then-husband, Wang Xiaofei, donated 10,000 masks purchased from Japan to Wuhan, sparking criticism from internet users in both Japan and Taiwan.^[135][136] Three days later, on January 30, Wang announced that an additional 10,000 masks, originally intended for donation to mainland China, would instead be donated to Taiwan due to Taiwan’s mask export ban, sparking criticism from internet users in China.^[137]

In June 2021, one week after she disclosed that she was divorcing from Wang, Hsu posted an Instagram story stating, “My Weibo account has been blocked, and my IG has been suspended! I just want to say: We are being massacred! Tsai! Massacring us,” followed by “Isn’t this a massacre?” She later added, “Um… Weibo and IG are actually fine… I just don’t know how to use them… But I stand by what I said!” Through her manager, Hsu clarified that she was wondering, “When will all 23 million people in Taiwan finally have access to vaccines? We're not [goddamn] guinea pigs! Our lives matter too!” The comments were widely interpreted as criticism of the Tsai Ing-wen administration over its delayed rollout of vaccine distribution in Taiwan.^[138]

For three years after Hsu’s divorce from Wang Xiaofei until her death, Wang’s mother, Zhang Lan, leveraged abrasive parodies and sensational rumors about Hsu and the Hsu family in her Douyin livestreaming e-commerce, generating high traffic but also fueling intense controversy over alleged sexism, misinformation, and cyberbullying—including with Wang, who publicly severed ties with his mother three times over the same period, primarily due to her exploitation of Hsu in her livestreams.^[139] In May 2024, after Zhang claimed that Hsu's son had been expelled from school, Hsu stated on Weibo that she had filed for an injunction with the Beijing Internet Court over Zhang while appealing to the court, the All-China Women's Federation, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and Douyin to take action over Zhang's repeated spreading of false information. The statement became Hsu's last Weibo.

After Hsu’s death, Zhang’s godson, Xia Jian, falsely claimed on Douyin that Wang had paid for the chartered flight carrying Hsu’s ashes from Japan to Taiwan, with Zhang endorsing his video. After Dee, who paid for the flight, and the flight company denied Xia's claims, on February 8, 2025, Hsu’s first seventh-day memorial (頭七), Douyin indefinitely banned the accounts of Wang, Zhang, and Xia for spreading misinformation and "disrespect for the deceased".^[140] Both Zhang and Wang contested the decision, with Wang claiming that he never spread misinformation about Hsu.^[141] Zhang continued to livestream on TikTok, Douyin's international version, and opened new accounts through her team on Douyin.^{[142][143][144]} Following Douyin, Weibo removed over 2,100 posts about Hsu containing "the falsehoods from external sites" and imposed penalties on over 100 accounts, including the suspension of live-streaming on Zhang's account.^[145][146] The penalties imposed on these accounts were endorsed by Chinese state media, including the Guangming Daily.^[147]

Hsu was accused by multiple people of drug use, but none was confirmed. After their divorce, Hsu's ex Wang Xiaofei repeatedly accused Hsu of the misuse of the sedative Stilnox through others' prescriptions, for which he used to pay over NT$1 million each month. On March 22, 2023, the anniversary of their wedding, Wang twice attempted to forcibly enter Hsu's residence in Taipei. He was taken away after the security reported to the police. At the police station, he told the police and media that his children are being "illegally detained and withheld" by Hsu and he intended to file a report accusingover Hsu of abusing Stilnox; however, he left the police station without providing evidence or filing a report.^[148]

In June 2023, following multiple women's allegations of sexual assault against Mickey Huang, Dee's ex-boyfriend, he retaliated by exposing multiple Taiwanese celebrities, including accusing Barbie and Dee of drug use. The Hsu sisters issued a joint statement expressing regret over Huang's unstable emotional state and refuting the drug use allegation, stating that one of Huang's allegded events, “Barbie was not even present at the scene.” They also noted that the court had ruled in 2004 against a Next Magazine's report on Dee's alleged drug use, “legally clearing Dee’s name.” The case was assigned for investigation by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office. Hair and urine samples were collected from the Hsu sisters, which tested positive for sedatives such as Stilnox. However, the substances detected were consistent with their prescribed medications from regular outpatient visits. As no criminal offenses were found, the case was closed without charges in May 2024.^[149]

In June 2023, shortly after Huang's allegations, paparazzo Ge Siqi claimed on a television program that he had heard from sources about a drug dealer supplying narcotics to the Hsu sisters. In response, Barbie and Dee filed a civil lawsuit against Ge, seeking NT$2 million each in damages. In November, the Taipei District Court ruled that Ge lacked sufficient evidence and ordered him to pay NT$300,000 to each sister. Ge later stated that he lost the case because he refused to disclose his sources. Ge's compensation was ultimately covered by Wang Xiaofei.^[150]

As ASOS:^[151]

• Guess Guess Guess: 1998 to 2000^[164]
• 100% Entertainment: 1998 to 2005^[164]
• Weekend Three Precious Fun: 2001^[165]
• Gourmet Secrets of the Stars [zh]: 2007 to 2008^[164]
• Let's Dance [zh]: 2008 to 2009^[166]
• Miss Beauty: 2018^[167]
• We Are Real Friends: 2019^[168]

• "大S去世｜回顧具俊曄8大深情告白！曾打算不婚竟為她許下終生承諾". HK01 (in Traditional Chinese). 3 February 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2025.

• Barbie Hsu at IMDb 
• Barbie Hsu discography at Discogs