On December 4, according to Taiwanese media reports, the well-known Taiwanese writer Qiong Yao passed away at her home in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, at the age of 86.
The news of Aunt Qiongyao's death is heartbreaking. Netizens expressed deep regret for her passing and hoped she would have a good life.
The Qiong Yao drama was once popular all over the country, and the childhood memories of a generation disappeared with the wind…
01
Leaving a suicide note, she passed away gracefully
On December 4, according to Taiwanese media reports, the well-known Taiwanese writer Qiong Yao passed away at her home in Tamsui District, New Taipei City.
Taiwanese media said that ambulance crews were reported to the scene and found that the deceased Qiong Yao had passed away in the room of her home. The ambulance crew found that she had no breathing and heartbeat. She was obviously dead and was not sent to the hospital. She was 86 years old.
Qiong Yao's 63-year-old son said that his mother left a suicide note and asked his secretary to go home and take a look at it at noon. After entering the house, he found Qiong Yao's body and immediately notified 119. However, when the ambulance arrived, they found that Qiong Yao had no breathing and heartbeat and was obviously dead.
Subsequently, the contents of Qiong Yao's suicide note were made public.
Qiong Yao said in her suicide note: "Don't cry, don't be sad, don't feel sorry for me. I have passed away gracefully! I got rid of the body that gradually caused me pain, and turned into snowflakes and flew away gracefully! This is my wish, 'death' is the road that everyone must pass, and it is also the last 'big thing'. I don't want to resign myself to fate, and I don't want to slowly wither and wither, I want to 'make the decision' for this last big thing."
Accompanying the release of Qiong Yao's suicide note was a video "When Snowflakes Fall" that she recorded during her lifetime.
This is the last image Qiong Yao left to the world. In the video, Qiong Yao is dressed in red, with a few roses nestled beside her, her voice trembling slightly, and her smile kind.
Qiong Yao read her suicide note in the video and said her final farewell to the world: "This is my last choice. The time has come and life will not be better. While I can still smile and sing, I will not drag down my loved ones and transcend the disease. My heart is free, unrestrained and happy. At this moment, like sparks and snowflakes blooming at the same time, I will fly to the stars where I can dance."
Six days ago, Qiong Yao posted a long article on social media to mourn her late husband, posting photos of her late husband during his illness and funeral, and attached a short poem "Remembering My Late Husband": "It is better to go back, so many past events are difficult to recall; The grudges have gone with the wind; the two worlds have been obsessed with each other for several years, and they want to express their love for each other. We may meet again in this world; it is better to go back than to listen to the cuckoo singing in the forest. "
The last public appearance of Qiong Yao during her lifetime was in August 2023, at the 60th anniversary concert of Qiong Yao's creation "When That Song Rings". At that time, Aunt Qiong Yao seemed to be in good spirits and happily interacted with the audience on the stage.
Qiong Yao's last work during her lifetime was the novel "The Dream of Plum Blossom Heroes". This novel took 7 years to complete in October 2019. It was first published in Taiwan in 2020 and became the last text left in her life.
As for Qiong Yao's suicide, there may have been traces.
In 2017, Qiong Yao suddenly published a letter to her son and daughter-in-law, revealing that she had recently read an article titled "Book Your Own Beautiful Farewell" and was inspired to think about her own death. She thought that if it was time to leave, she hoped that her body would not be tortured because of the reluctance of her descendants. She also used this to warn her son and daughter-in-law not to be confused by the myth of life and death.
Aunt Qiong Yao's open-minded attitude towards life and death moved many people. Until the end of her life, Aunt Qiong Yao still wished young people to live a carefree life. Many netizens shed tears and lamented Aunt Qiong Yao's kindness and gentleness.
Regarding Qiong Yao's sudden death, the starring actors of "Huanzhugege" issued a message to express their condolences.
Zhao Wei, the actor of "Little Swallow", updated her social media after a long time and posted a post to express her memory for Aunt Qiong Yao, "The green mountains are still there, and the sunsets are red several times."
Lin Xinru, who played "Ziwei", was so choked up that she couldn't speak when she faced Qiong Yao's death. She said that Qiong Yao was the first benefactor in her life and attributed her contribution in the drama circle to Qiong Yao.
Fan Bingbing, the actor of "Golden Lock", posted a message of condolence and expressed his gratitude to Aunt Qiong Yao, "Thank you for lighting up my life, and may you always be happy in heaven."
Su Youpeng, the actor of "Fifth Brother & Du Fei", posted a message to express his condolences, "I am very lucky to have become a character in your works. Everything about Huanzhu and Deep Love will be etched in my life forever. Thank you! May Auntie have a smooth and graceful journey!"
In addition, Brigitte Lin, Jiang Qinqin, Ma Yili, Li Sheng, Liu Tao, Zhang Jiani, Huang Xiaoming, Qin Lan, Chen Derong, Li Jiahang, Hai Lu, Chen Derong, Chen Zhipeng, Jin Ming, Qiu Artists such as Xinzhi, Li Meng, Bao Jianfeng, Li Yijun, Huang Yi, Kan Qingzi, Wang Lin, Yao Chen, Madina, Zhao Liying also sent messages to express their condolences and wish Aunt Qiongyao a happy journey.
Between the lines, gratitude and reluctance to Qiong Yao are revealed.
02
She has written more than 100 literary works and is worthy of being a "legendary female writer of a generation"
Qiong Yao, whose real name is Chen Zhe, was born on April 20, 1938 in Chengdu, Sichuan. Her ancestral home is Hengyang, Hunan. She is a contemporary Chinese writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer.
Until she was four years old, Qiong Yao lived in Chengdu.
In 1942, she returned to live with her parents in her ancestral home "Lanzhitang" in Hengyang, Hunan.
In 1947, Qiong Yao moved to Shanghai with her family and entered school for the first time (Shanghai District 16 National Primary School) to receive education.
In Shanghai, she wrote her first novel "Poor Xiao Qing", which was published in the "Modern Children's Supplement" on the ninth page of Shanghai's "Ta Kung Pao" on December 6, 1947.
In the summer of 1949, Qiong Yao moved to Taipei City, Taiwan Province with her parents. In the autumn of the same year, she transferred to the sixth grade of the Taipei Normal School Affiliated Elementary School. After graduating from junior high school, she was admitted to Taipei No. 2 Girls' Senior High School (today's Zhongshan Girls' High School).
But Qiong Yao failed to get into the university of her choice as she wished. After failing the college entrance examination for the first time, she committed suicide by taking pills.
In July 1958, she failed the college entrance examination for the second time. She was determined not to take the college entrance examination again and insisted on her dream of writing. However, several novels she wrote were rejected.
It was not until 1961 that Qiong Yao completed the short story "Valley of Lovers" and published it in the magazine "Crown".
Later, her career path became smoother and smoother.
In 1963, she completed her first 200,000-word novel "Outside the Window" based on her own experience. A week after sending it to the magazine "Crown", she received a letter announcing her decision to publish it. In September, "Outside the Window" was published as a single volume with a first printing of 1,000 copies. Once published, it sold out many times and was widely praised.
In 1964, Qiong Yao moved to Taipei and settled down. She devoted herself to writing and published many novels such as "Misty Rain", "Several Red Sunsets", "Dodder", "Six Dreams" and "Clover".
In 1988, Qiong Yao returned to mainland China to visit relatives for the first time, traveled to Beijing, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and other places, and began to compile the complete collection of her works.
Since then, many novels including "Before the Snowflakes Fall: The Last Lesson in My Life", "The Complete Works of Qiong Yao", "Hold Three Times, I Love You", "Dream of Plum Blossom Heroes", etc. were published one after another.
Qiong Yao has created more than 100 literary works in her creative career of more than 60 years.
She persisted in creating throughout her life, using words to express her views and weave ideals. Many of her works have been widely praised, and she is worthy of being a "legendary female writer of a generation".
03
The popular Qiong Yao drama, unforgettable youth memories for generations
When it comes to romantic dramas, no one can ignore the name Qiong Yao.
Qiong Yao drama has influenced several generations of Chinese people. The description of pure and beautiful love in her works has created beautiful or sentimental "dreams behind a curtain" for people one after another.
Over the years, Qiong Yao has been actively involved in film and television production, and many of her novels have been adapted into films and TV series with great success.
In 1964, the film "Outside the Window" adapted from Qiong Yao's debut novel of the same name was released. Based on her own experience, the film tells the story of the love story that is not accepted by the world between the heroine Jiang Yanrong and the Chinese teacher Kang Nan. After its release, it was widely praised and loved by the audience.
Qiong Yao's film and television works take love as the theme, are elegant and subtle, and perfectly meet the needs of mainland audiences during the period of transformation. Qiong Yao's dramas have risen rapidly and become the object of people's pursuit.
The "Qiong Yao fever" triggered by "Outside the Window" in the 1960s continued to heat up in Taiwan and overseas, lasting for nearly 20 years. In the mid-1980s, it quietly crossed the sea and became popular in the mainland overnight, and lasted until the 1990s.
As the godmother of romance, Qiong Yao's stories cover ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad. Although most of them describe love stories, the themes are very different. Some pursue freedom of love, while others are anti-feudal, pursuing breaking down classes, opposing domestic violence, and expressing feelings about family and country.
Each character is also three-dimensional and full of personality.
Qiong Yao has many works, some of which contain laughter and tears, humor and touching, and have been well received.
For example, "Huan Zhuge Ge", which was broadcast in 1998, won the love and popularity of audiences across the country with its humorous plot and affectionate interpretation. It set a record for the highest ratings of Chinese TV dramas and became popular all over the country.
The characters in "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" are full of characters. They not only create the lively, cute, clever and funny Little Swallow, the gentle and generous, well-informed Ziwei, the affectionate and righteous fifth elder brother Yongqi who dares to take on responsibilities, the martial arts master, mature and considerate Erkang, but also the villain Rong, who can be portrayed in a penetrating and flesh-and-blood manner, which is very impressive.
A pair of happy enemies, a pair of literary young people, and two completely different love lines not only satisfy the audience's love fantasy of the prince and princess, but also create a beautiful myth for the love story between the prince and Cinderella.
After the news of Aunt Qiong Yao's death came out, someone posted the theme song "Dang" of "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" online to commemorate Aunt Qiong Yao, which aroused the resonance of many netizens. They all posted that "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" was their childhood memories. "When I saw "Huan Zhu Ge Ge", I thought of the time I spent watching TV at home during the summer vacation when I was a child. It was really beautiful and happy."
Some stories have deep sadomasochistic love, complicated emotional entanglements, and are heart-wrenching.
In "Love is Deep and Rainy", the stubborn and strong Yi Ping, the wavering Shu Huan, the gentle and kind Ru Ping, and the infatuated and considerate Du Fei, the four-corner love story surrounding these four people is full of love and hate, and the audience's hearts are also affected.
The emotional past between the older generation Lu Zhenhua, Fu Wenpei, and Aunt Xue is also full of drama and tension, attracting the audience to keep watching.
In "Another Dream", the love triangle plot involving two sisters competing for a man is so bloody that people can't help but watch it. The vigorous and heart-wrenching love is heart-wrenching, but they can't bear to leave.
But these dramas are not just about love, they also show independent female images. Yiping dares to love and hate, dares to resist patriarchy, and be her own heroine; Luping is rational, clear-headed and decisive, and will not give up on herself even if she is disabled.
At the end of "Love is Deep and Rainy", Shuhuan, Erhao, Du Fei and others participated in the Anti-Japanese War, turning the personal relationship between children into national justice and sublimating the theme.
At the same time, there are also dramas that are full of blood and thunderous lines, which can be regarded as an alternative to the industry.
In "Another Dream", the sentence "You just lost a leg, but she also lost half her life and her love" shocked the audience and made them feel miserable.
Not long ago, some plots and lines in "Flowers Are Not Flowers, Mists Are Not Fog" were also put on trial.
Ye Fan and Qi Fei broke up because of a misunderstanding. Qi Fei threw his cell phone into the river and said he wanted to drown his memories. Ye Fan also threw his cell phone into the river, saying that he would be buried with Qi Fei's cell phone.
The three Ye Fan sisters were separated since childhood, and finally recognized each other because they could sing the same song.
All kinds of plots made the audience laugh and cry, and dig their toes into the ground.
Aunt Qiong Yao's works are rich in content and have diverse themes, catering to the tastes of different audiences and being loved by people from all walks of life.
As a great writer and outstanding screenwriter, Qiong Yao's death is a huge loss in the fields of literature, film and television. Her great contribution to the fields of literature, film and television is praised by people and will last forever.
