Renowned writer Qiong Yao was found dead at her residence in the Danshui District this afternoon. When paramedics arrived, they found that she had already passed away at the age of 86, shocking people from all walks of life.
Qiong Yao, whose real name is Chen Zhe, was a versatile writer known for her romantic novels, screenwriting, film and television production, and songwriting in Mandarin.
Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, she moved to Taiwan with her parents in 1949. She graduated from Taipei Second Girls’ High School and had her first short story published in the magazine “Morning Light.”
Many of Qiong Yao’s novels have been adapted into movies or TV dramas. Some of her most famous works include “Deep in the Courtyard,” “The Red Sun Sets,” “Misty Rain,” “Flying Through the Clouds,” “Where the Seagull Flies,” “Thousands of Knots in the Heart,” “A Dream in a Curtain,” and series like “Six Dreams” and “Three Melodies of Plum Blossoms.”
Her most well-known work is the “Huan Zhu Ge Ge” trilogy, which not only gained high viewership ratings in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong but also received popularity in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
In recent years, Qiong Yao rarely made public appearances. In 2017, she had posted a letter on Facebook to her son and daughter-in-law, detailing her wishes for her final arrangements, urging them not to mourn but to celebrate her life when the time comes. This had sparked discussions at that time.
However, it was reported today that Qiong Yao passed away in her residence in Danshui District at noon. Police and paramedics arrived on the scene to find her lifeless in her room, with no signs of breathing or heartbeat, and she was pronounced dead on site without being taken to the hospital.
According to a report from the Central News Agency, preliminary investigations by the police revealed that Qiong Yao left a suicide note for her son, instructing her daughter-in-law’s secretary to come home and check on her. When the daughter-in-law arrived, she discovered that Qiong Yao had tragically passed away and promptly alerted the authorities. The prosecutors, after conducting an autopsy on the body this evening, ruled out foul play and issued a certificate of verification to the family, allowing them to proceed with the funeral arrangements.