Taiwanese writer and film producer Chiung Yao (瓊瑤), 86, died in her home in Tamsui, Taiwan on December 4, 2024. She was suspected to have committed suicide by burning charcoal at her bedside. The news shocked everyone from all walks of life, especially the artistes whom had starred in her productions. Chiung Yao wrote countless classic novels throughout her life; many of which were adapted into television dramas and movies which were beloved with audiences globally.
Chiung Yao’s real name was Chen Che (陳喆). She was born in Chengdu, Sichuan and grew up in Taiwan. She graduated from Taipei City North No. 2 Girls’ High School (now known as Zhongshan Girls’ High School). Inheriting her parents’ literary talent, Chiung Yao’s father was a professor in the Chinese Department of National Taiwan Normal University and her mother was a Chinese teacher at Jianguo Middle School. She started writing at the age of nine and had published a total of 65 books. Her romance novels were often melodramatic in which the leads had to overcome significant obstacles in their love.
Chiung Yao’s book Four Loves <婉君表妹> was the first to be adapted into a movie in 1964 and achieved box office success. She made her first foray into the television industry in the 1980s and filmed a series of ‘Chiung Yao TV series’. In the 1990s, the My Fair Princess <還珠格格> trilogy was a huge hit and made many actors and actresses into big stars, including Brigitte Lin (林青霞), Chin Han (秦漢), Steve Ma (馬景濤), Hsu Nai Lin (徐乃麟), Yue Ling (岳翎), Grace Yu (俞小凡), Ruby Lin (林心如), Vicki Zhao (趙薇).
Chiung Yao’s love life was as exciting as the novels she wrote. She married her first husband, Ma Senqing (馬森慶), in 1959 but it only lasted five years. Later, she had an extramarital affair with Ping Xintao (平鑫濤), the head of Crown Culture, for eight years before getting married. The couple had a son and her daughter-in-law, He Xiuqiong (何琇瓊) who later served as the producer of the film and television series adapted from her novels.
One week before her suicide, Chiung Yao made several social media posts. One was a tribute to her late husband. In her second post, Chiung Yao expressed her intent to avoid “weakness, deterioration, illness, hospital visits, treatment, and lingering suffering.”
Source: [1]
This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.
