Chiung Yao

Chen Che was born in Chengdu, Republic of China, on 20 April 1938.{{Cite web |last=藍詩孟 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤享壽86歲！文壇教母以《還珠格格》紅遍亞洲 傳奇故事一次看 |url=https://www.nownews.com/news/6601399?srsltid=AfmBOooH6cV827U3APZK9Egz3XXxKgt6pQwa9YK-tVxmHbiFdg9M2mnY |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=NOWnews |language=zh-hant}}{{cite news |last1=Li |first1=Yuan |title=Chiung Yao, Influential Taiwanese Romance Novelist, Dies at 86 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/08/books/chiung-yao-dead.html |access-date=8 December 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=8 December 2024}} She experienced an unstable childhood due to the Second Sino-Japanese War.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=贵州于作家琼瑶，是温馨是平静 |url=https://www.gzstv.com/a/ae793da8cab2454495dea17c9863c311 |website=Guizhou Television |language=zh-Hans-CN}} Her father, {{ill|Chen Chih-ping|zh|陳致平}}, came from a humble background in Hengyang, while her mother, Yuan Hsing-shu, belonged to an upper-class family in Suzhou and Shanghai; her grandfather was the head of the Bank of Communications.{{Cite web |last=邱柏玟 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤去世／回顧瓊瑤傳奇一生！9歲寫小說、25歲出書 晚年被控當小三毀人家庭 |url=https://www.ctwant.com/article/380562/ |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=CTWANT |language=zh-hant |archive-date=4 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204081058/https://www.ctwant.com/article/380562/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=琼瑶与江苏：她的母亲是武进人，大姨更是江苏名人 |url=https://www.yzwb.net/zncontent/4184552.html |website=Yangtse Evening Post |language=zh-Hans}} Yuan fell in love with Chen Chih-ping, who was her Chinese teacher, and the two defied social norms and married. When Yuan Hsing-shu became pregnant, Chen Chih-ping, then only 20 years old, initially planned to have the pregnancy terminated. However, upon discovering she was carrying twins—a boy and a girl—he changed his mind and decided to raise the children. The girl was Chiung Yao. During the war, the family endured a turbulent life as refugees. To survive, they performed in plays and sold potatoes, while Chen Chih-ping and Yuan Hsing-shu also taught in various locations, including Guizhou and Sichuan.

With both parents being Chinese literature teachers, the literary atmosphere of her family instilled in her a love for literature from a young age. In 1947, she moved with her family to Shanghai, where she published her first short story, The Poor Little Qing, on the Ta Kung Pao.{{Cite web |author=Li |first=Xiangping |date=5 December 2024 |title=琼瑶 |url=https://www.zgbk.com/ecph/words?SiteID=1&ID=367224&Type=bkzyb |website=Encyclopedia of China |language=zh-hans |id=367224}} In 1949, her family relocated to Taipei, Taiwan. After arriving in Taiwan, her father became a Chinese literature professor at National Taiwan Normal University, while her mother worked as a Chinese literature teacher at Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School.{{Cite web |author=陳芊秀 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤9歲開始寫作…小說影視化打造「瓊瑤式宇宙」 再婚平鑫濤轟動藝文界 |url=https://star.ettoday.net/news/2867407 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=ETtoday |language=zh-Hant}} Compared to many of her peers who grew up in post-war Taiwan's poverty, Chiung Yao enjoyed a relatively privileged upbringing.{{Cite web |date=5 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤 |url=https://ksliterary.ksml.edu.tw/author/Details?Parser=99,3,22,,,,265 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Kaohsiung Literature Library |language=zh-hant}} At the age of 14, she published a short story under the pen name Lü Gui. In 1954, she adopted the pen name Xin Ru and published another story.{{Cite news |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤輕生｜《還珠格格》風靡中港台 捧紅趙薇林心如 多部名作曾改編成影視作品 |url=https://www.stheadline.com/china-taiwan/3407616/%E7%93%8A%E7%91%A4%E8%BC%95%E7%94%9F%E9%82%84%E7%8F%A0%E6%A0%BC%E6%A0%BC%E9%A2%A8%E9%9D%A1%E4%B8%AD%E6%B8%AF%E5%8F%B0-%E6%8D%A7%E7%B4%85%E8%B6%99%E8%96%87%E6%9E%97%E5%BF%83%E5%A6%82-%E5%A4%9A%E9%83%A8%E5%90%8D%E4%BD%9C%E6%9B%BE%E6%94%B9%E7%B7%A8%E6%88%90%E5%BD%B1%E8%A6%96%E4%BD%9C%E5%93%81 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Headline Daily |language=zh-hant}}

Chiung Yao struggled academically as a child, often facing criticism from her parents. In her final year of high school, she fell in love with her Chinese literature teacher, Jiang Ren, who was single and much older than her.{{Cite web |author=任以芳 |date=4 December 2024 |title=電影《窗外》演出瓊瑤真實初戀 18歲的她曾愛上43歲國文老師 |url=https://www.ettoday.net/news/20241204/2867406.htm |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=ETtoday |language=zh-Hant}} The two planned to marry after being admitted to university, but their relationship ended due to opposition from her parents. Ultimately, Chiung Yao did not pass the university entrance exams, and graduated from Taipei Municipal Second Girls' High School (now Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School).

In 1959, she married Ma Sen-ching, a graduate of the Foreign Languages Department at National Taiwan University.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤6天前重啟臉書發文《憶亡夫》 淚訴與平鑫濤56年情史：我隱忍了很多 |url=https://www.upmedia.mg/news_info.php?Type=196&SerialNo=218498 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Up Media |language=zh-hant}} Ma worked at Taiwan Aluminium Corporation in Kaohsiung, where the couple settled after their wedding. In addition to his day job, Ma was a part-time writer.{{Cite web |date=21 February 2024 |title=人间忆往〉皇冠基本作家六十年（上）──兼志《皇冠》70周年 |url=https://www.chinatimes.com/cn/realtimenews/20240221000622-263301?chdtv |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=China Times |language=zh-Hans}} The couple had one son, Chen Chung-wei.{{Cite web |author=吳惠菁 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤背小三罵名與平鑫濤結髮40年 「插管之爭」決裂皇冠出版社 |url=https://tw.nextapple.com/entertainment/20241204/8F267F5523567DD23863B1A6ED7DEA88 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Apple Daily |language=zh-hant}}

In 1962, Chiung Yao published several short and medium-length stories in Crown magazine.{{Cite web |author=Zeng |first=Yuli |date=4 December 2024 |title=纪念丨1990年，琼瑶的电视剧时代开始了 |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_29543475 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=The Paper |language=zh-Hans-CN}} She then rewrote her high school teacher-student romance into the novel Outside the Window.{{cite book |last=Mostow |first=Joshua S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rEqsAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA517 |title=The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-231-11314-4 |page=517}} Initially rejected by multiple publishers due to its length, it was eventually accepted for publication by Ping Hsin-tao's Crown magazine.{{Cite web |author=陳宛茜 |title=瓊瑤處女作「窗外」投稿皇冠 遇摯愛平鑫濤 |url=https://udn.com/news/story/124294/8404822 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=United Daily News |language=zh-hant}}

In July 1963, Chiung Yao's semi-autobiographical love story Outside the Window was serialised in Crown magazine, achieving significant success. It was later released as a standalone book. This success led to her acquaintance with Ping Hsin-tao. Ping rented a flat opposite his own for Chiung Yao and hired domestic carers, allowing her to focus on writing full-time. As a result, Chiung Yao moved from Kaohsiung to Taipei with her child. Ping's wife, Lin Wan-chen, began to suspect an unusual relationship between Chiung Yao and Ping after their young children told Lin of their conversations.

Chiung Yao's husband, Ma Sen-ching, was deeply humiliated by the public disclosure of her first love and attacked her in newspapers. Their relationship gradually deteriorated.{{Cite web |last=張嘉敏 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤輕生｜為第二位老公甘願做情婦8年終如願 初戀觸礁悲痛輕生 |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E5%A8%9B%E6%A8%82/1081933/%E7%93%8A%E7%91%A4%E8%BC%95%E7%94%9F-%E7%82%BA%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8C%E4%BD%8D%E8%80%81%E5%85%AC%E7%94%98%E9%A1%98%E5%81%9A%E6%83%85%E5%A9%A68%E5%B9%B4%E7%B5%82%E5%A6%82%E9%A1%98-%E5%88%9D%E6%88%80%E8%A7%B8%E7%A4%81%E6%82%B2%E7%97%9B%E8%BC%95%E7%94%9F#google_vignette |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=HK01 |language=zh-hant}} Writer Chi-chi recalled an incident where she visited Chiung Yao's home, and a servant opened the door to find Chiung Yao coming downstairs with bed linens, claiming they were "poisoned" and announcing her intent to divorce Ma Sen-ching. The couple officially divorced in 1964. After the divorce, Chiung Yao and Ping Hsin-tao entered into a romantic relationship. They became a couple on the premiere night of Outside the Window film adaptation, with Chiung Yao becoming Ping's mistress.

Due to the hardships in her personal life, Chiung Yao's early works often had tragic endings. Between 1964 and 1971, her short and medium-length stories explored varied styles.{{Cite web |author=林欣儀 |title=瓊瑤（1938.4.20~ ） |url=https://db.nmtl.gov.tw/site2/dictionary?id=Dictionary01859 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=台灣文學辭典資料庫 |publisher=National Museum of Taiwan Literature |language=zh-hant |location=Tainan |archive-date=19 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819085639/https://db.nmtl.gov.tw/site2/dictionary?id=Dictionary01859 |url-status=live }} After 1964, Chiung Yao published six bestsellers, including Fire and Rain, Six Dreams, and Many Enchanting Nights.

File:「金馬50風華展」瓊瑤的劇本手稿.jpg 50th Anniversary Exhibition showing Chiung Yao's manuscript I am a Cloud.]]Between 1964 and 1983, Chiung Yao's works were adapted into 50 films, leading to "Chiung Yao film" becoming a genre in and of itself.{{Cite book |last=Lee |first=Daw-Ming |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYubb-xIgiYC&dq=%22Chiung+Yao%22&pg=PA128 |title=Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema |date=8 November 2012 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7922-5 |pages=127–128 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Hu |first=Brian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2SDDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Chiung+Yao%22&pg=PA27 |title=Worldly Desires: Cosmopolitanism and Cinema in Hong Kong and Taiwan |date=26 September 2018 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=978-1-4744-2847-7 |pages=27 |language=en}} Chiung Yao's novels and their adaptations sparked a "Chiung Yao fever" in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

In 1965, Taiwanese director Li Hsing adapted two stories from Chiung Yao's Six Dreams into films: Four Loves and The Silent Wife. These marked the beginning of cinematic adaptations of Chiung Yao's works.{{Cite web |author=陳煒智 |title=從無聲到有聲：文藝愛情電影《戀愛與義務》與瓊瑤系列 |url=https://edumovie-tfai.org.tw/article/content/499 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=認識電影 |language=zh-hant |archive-date=8 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808160416/https://edumovie-tfai.org.tw/article/content/499 |url-status=live }} Four Loves was successful both critically and commercially, while The Silent Wife achieved even greater success, becoming a bestseller in Hong Kong. However, Chiung Yao was occasionally dissatisfied with Li Hsing's adaptations. For example, in The Silent Wife, Chiung Yao envisioned the heroine as a "child bride", but Li Hsing insisted on portraying her as a cousin, deviating from the original narrative.{{Cite web |author=蘇詠智 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤以作家之姿創影視傳奇 林青霞、鳳飛飛等稱霸影壇歌壇都靠她 |url=https://www.nownews.com/news/6601256?srsltid=AfmBOoqpPDGNA4vU0IUHzfq-zFjUmhSMJk6x8Y_pHFM44mwGtSHgEvR8 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=NOWnews |language=zh-hant}}

Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong purchased the film rights to her works. Among these, My Dream Boat became the second-highest-grossing Mandarin-language film in Hong Kong that year. After leaving Shaw Brothers, Hong Kong director Li Han-hsiang founded Grand Motion Pictures in Taiwan, where he extensively adapted Chiung Yao's novels for the screen. His film Many Enchanting Nights earned actress Chiang Ching the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for her role as the protagonist.

In the mid-1970s, Li Hsing returned to Chiung Yao's works, adapting The Young Ones and The Heart has a Million Knots. These films boosted the popularity of actors Chen Chen and Charlie Chin, who starred in The Young Ones. The soundtrack also gained widespread recognition, with Teresa Teng's renditions of A Thousand Words and How Can I Leave You from the film becoming major hits.{{Cite web |author=蘇詠智 |date=24 July 2018 |title=瓊瑤電影王國因這部片迅速崩解原因是... |url=https://stars.udn.com/star/story/10094/3269277 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=United Daily News |language=zh-hant}} Brigitte Lin, who had failed her university entrance exams, was discovered by director Sung Tsun-Shou from the Outside the Window production team. This marked her entry into the entertainment industry. However, due to copyright disputes, the film was ultimately unable to be released in Taiwan.{{Cite web |author=張夢瑞 |date=2004 |title=永遠的女主角──林青霞 |url=https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/Articles/Details?Guid=ff4bac2e-6c09-49df-9fb7-5c05909e0429&CatId=8&postname=永遠的女主角──林青霞&srsltid=AfmBOorTxCXzmJfGSxseth6VFPpKggq50PxWjDv2YyhkuY6DbleeP9bM |website=Taiwan Panorama}}

Unsatisfied with Shaw Brothers' adaptation of The Purple Shell, Chiung Yao established Firebird Picture Company in 1966, producing Mist Over Dream Lake and Lucky Clover. However, due to poor box office performance, the company closed in 1971.{{Cite journal |author=陳冠如 |year=2012 |title=「書寫的服裝」到「意象服裝」 ──巨星公司出品的電影服裝語言研究 |url=https://tpl.ncl.edu.tw/NclService/pdfdownload?filePath=lV8OirTfsslWcCxIpLbUfpBFnr50DaCpe8TWHVuMvMW0NVOXbjJiUiKkdSJRTTHQioFkmEtPFZ0=&imgType=Bn5sH4BGpJw=&key=X9oZKvzpMMvMxve5_2PK8CCo34zjY1c38YH8hT-UKP4eVVU9OyINO4qBZJhLTxWd&xmlId=0007234374 |journal=國文經緯 |language=zh-hant |issue=8 |page=209-230 |issn=2218-4546}} In 1976, Ping Hsin-tao asked his wife Lin Wan-chen for a divorce.{{Cite web |author=蕭雅文 |date=5 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤著名三段情刻骨銘心 曾談禁忌師生戀、不倫戀 結婚兩次 |url=https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20241205001645-260404?chdtv |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=China Times |language=zh-hant}} That same year, Chiung Yao co-founded Superstar Motion Picture to adapt her novels into films, ending her collaboration with Li Hsing in 1977.{{Cite web |author=林盈志 |date=19 October 2023 |title=授權改編與原創劇本 |url=https://openmuseum.tw/muse/exhibition/b1901c34c9b40aa2ab19949f3f70c4e8#basic-8xwbkzuwm4 |website=李行──行？不行？ |publisher=Academia Sinica Center for Digital Cultures |via=Open Library |location=Taipei}}

In 1979, Jiang Ren, the inspiration for the male lead in Outside the Window, died, and Chiung Yao married Ping. Chiung Yao and her second husband Ping adapted many of her novels into television series and films, often serving as producers or screenwriters themselves. Film adaptations in the 1970s often featured Brigitte Lin, Joan Lin, Charlie Chin, and Chin Han, who were then collectively known as the "Two Lins and Two Chins".

At Superstar, Brigitte Lin became Chiung Yao's go-to actress, starring in many of Chiung Yao's films. Early works such as Cloud of Romance and The Love Affair of Rainbow were scripted by Chang Yung-hsiang, while later works, including Moonlight Serenade and Yesterday's Love, were penned by Chiung Yao herself. Cloud of Romance, featuring Brigitte Lin and co-stars Charlie Chin and Chin Han, was a major hit, with the title song sung by Fong Fei-fei gaining widespread popularity.

Chiung Yao films dominated prime slots during Lunar New Year and Youth Day.{{Cite web |author=蘇詠智 |date=31 October 2017 |title=兩代瓊瑤玉女林青霞、呂秀齡首度合演掀風波 |url=https://stars.udn.com/star/story/10094/2788370 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=United Daily News |language=zh-hant}} Songs were often performed by Fong Fei-fei,{{Cite web |author=陳峙維 |title=飛上銀幕的鳳凰—追憶國民天后鳳飛飛 |url=https://ctfa.org.tw/news/content.php?cid=6&id=1613 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Taiwan Film & Audiovisual Institute |language=zh-hant |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530140730/https://ctfa.org.tw/news/content.php?cid=6&id=1613 |url-status=live }} with music composed by {{ill|Tso Hung-yuan|zh|左宏元}}.{{Cite web |date=12 November 2013 |title=音乐人左宏元：民族风会刮下去，只是无迹可求 |url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/yl/2013/11-12/5493085.shtml |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Changjiang Daily |via=China News Service}} The films, set in dining rooms and cafes, were nicknamed "{{Ill|Three-Hall Films|zh|三廳電影}}". However, their formulaic nature led to diminishing appeal. After the 1982 failure of Amid the Rolling Clouds, Chiung Yao announced her retirement from filmmaking.

Chiung Yao stopped creating film adaptations in 1980, choosing instead to focus on television. From 1982 to 1985, Chiung Yao's writing began to address controversial societal issues, producing works such as Paradise on Fire. However, after 1985, she experienced a creative bottleneck and paused her writing until the 1990s. In 1985, Chiung Yao's novels began to be adapted into television dramas. The following year, Chiung Yao and her husband Ping Hsin-tao co-founded Yi Ren Communications. By 1990, four more adaptations were released within a single year. Most of these dramas aired during Taiwan's prime-time evening slots, drawing massive viewership.

After Taiwan's lifting of martial law, the society's growing openness and diversity of values led to the decline of the "fighting for love" trope in Chiung Yao's works. Consequently, her stories shifted to settings in late Qing and early Republican China, focusing on themes like class conflict and feudal restrictions rather than generational gaps or romantic disputes. Her works during this period emphasised "love above all" and featured intense melodrama. The female protagonists—dubbed "Chiung Yao Girls"—embodied the image of tragic beauty. While her narratives critiqued feudal patriarchal oppression, they simultaneously portrayed enduring hardship and framed marriage as the ultimate victory.

In 1987, following Taiwan's approval for citizens to visit relatives in China, Chiung Yao travelled there. After Taiwan lifted restrictions on filming in China in 1989, Chiung Yao led her production teams to China, making her the first Taiwanese producer to film on location there. From that point on, nearly all of her television dramas included scenes shot in China, with Chinese actors joining the casts. In the 1990s, her romance-focused dramas resonated with Taiwan's emotionally complex society, while in China, they gained popularity for their themes of freedom and liberation following years of social suppression. In Vietnam, Chiung Yao's works faced initial censorship for their depictions of extramarital affairs and love triangles but regained popularity after the government embraced reform and openness.{{Cite web |last= |date=5 December 2024 |title=「你家有幾位格格？」 瓊瑤作品風靡越南影響深，大批讀者留言致哀 |url=https://www.thenewslens.com/article/245791 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Central News Agency |language=zh-hant |via=The News Lens}}

In 1998, My Fair Princess marked a significant departure from Chiung Yao's trademark melodramatic style, introducing a light-hearted and comedic tone.{{Cite journal |author=Cheng |first=Shao-Chun |year=2010 |title=The Dramatic Style Transformation of Chiungyao's TV Serial Huanzhu GeGe: A Generic Analysis |url=https://www.airitilibrary.com/Article/Detail/16818865-201001-201003310007-201003310007-107-148 |journal=Communication and Management Research |language=zh-hant |volume=9 |issue=2 |page=107-148 |doi=10.6430/CMR.201001.0107}}{{Cite web |author=到尾 |date=27 March 2018 |title=你知道宋祖英也演過瓊瑤劇嗎？（我在大陸看臺灣） |url=http://big5.taiwan.cn/plzhx/zuopinji/daowei/201803/t20180327_11937164.htm |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Taiwan.cn |archive-date=23 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123043357/http://big5.taiwan.cn/plzhx/zuopinji/daowei/201803/t20180327_11937164.htm |url-status=live }} This series is "regarded as one of the most popular Chinese-language drama shows of all time". Following this success, Chiung Yao revisited and reimagined her earlier works, producing remakes of her earlier works. In 2013, she released an original drama, Flowers in Fog. The series incorporated South Korean influences and contemporary romantic elements to appeal to younger audiences.{{Cite web |author=李雪薇 |date=30 July 2013 |title=《花非花雾非雾》将播 琼瑶：50年从未远离年轻人 |url=https://ent.ifeng.com/tv/news/tvtop/detail_2013_07/30/28061851_0.shtml |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Phoenix News}} However, it received mixed reviews, with some viewers labelling it a "cringeworthy drama".{{Cite web |author=洪秀瑛 |date=8 August 2013 |title=《花非花》被說老套 瓊瑤變雷劇奶奶 |url=https://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20130808000726-260507 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=China Times |language=zh-Hant}} Afterward, Chiung Yao gradually withdrew from the entertainment industry.{{Cite web |last=精選書摘 |date=10 February 2021 |title=《世界中的台灣文學》：瓊瑤電視劇、韓國瑜旋風、中華民國式感覺結構 |url=https://www.thenewslens.com/article/146733 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=The News Lens |language=zh-hant}}

On 15 April 2014, Chiung Yao accused Chinese screenwriter and producer Yu Zheng of blatant plagiarism, seeking immediate suspension of the broadcast of his TV series Palace 3: The Lost Daughter, which she alleged to have been plagiarized from her 1992 novel {{ill|Plum Blossom Scar|zh|梅花烙}} (梅花烙). Yu denied the claim. On 28 April, Chiung Yao filed a plagiarism lawsuit against Yu.{{Cite web |title=Chiung Yao Sues Yu Zheng for Plagiarism |url=http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/womenofchina/report/172591-1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131231017/http://www.womenofchina.cn/html/womenofchina/report/172591-1.htm |archive-date=31 January 2015 |access-date=13 March 2015 |website=Women of China}} On 12 December 109 Chinese screenwriters published a joint statement supporting Chiung Yao.{{Cite web |date= |title=琼瑶诉于正抄袭 109名编剧联名支持 |trans-title=Chiung Yao sues Yu Zheng for plagiarism, 109 screenwriters jointly support |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2014-12/12/c_127297832.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218011248/http://news.xinhuanet.com/tech/2014-12/12/c_127297832.htm |archive-date=18 December 2014 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Xinhua News Agency}} A day later, an additional 30 Chinese screenwriters made their support of Chiung Yao known.{{Cite web |title=继续声援! 又有30余位编剧支持琼瑶诉于正 |trans-title=Continue to support! More than 30 screenwriters support Chiung Yao's lawsuit against Yu Zheng |url=http://gb.cri.cn/27224/2014/12/13/7791s4802745.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413073007/http://gb.cri.cn/27224/2014/12/13/7791s4802745.htm |archive-date=13 April 2017 |access-date=13 March 2015}}

On 25 December, the court ruled in Chiung Yao's favour, ordering four companies to stop distributing and broadcasting The Palace: The Lost Daughter, also demanding Yu Zheng to publicly apologize and pay Chiung Yao RMB 5 million (around $800,000) in compensation. China Radio International called it a "landmark ruling".{{cite web |date=25 December 2014 |title=Court Supports Chiung Yao's Plagiarism Charges |url=http://english.cri.cn/12394/2014/12/25/3521s858289.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150315211447/http://english.cri.cn/12394/2014/12/25/3521s858289.htm |archive-date=15 March 2015 |website=english.cri.cn}}{{cite news |last1=Chou |first1=Chou I-ling |last2=Chen |first2=Ted |date=25 December 2014 |title=Taiwanese novelist wins 5 million yuan in Beijing court case |url=http://focustaiwan.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/201412250027.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226042715/http://focustaiwan.cna.com.tw/news/asoc/201412250027.aspx |archive-date=26 December 2014 |accessdate=26 December 2014 |agency=Central News Agency}}

In 1959, Chiung Yao married Ma Sen-ching ({{lang|zh-Hant|馬森慶}}), also a writer. After she became famous and began to outshine her husband, their marriage broke down and ended in divorce in 1964.{{Cite web |date=18 April 2017 |title=当你不再浪漫不再笑 |trans-title=When you are no longer romantic and no longer smile |url=http://epaper.gmw.cn/wzb/html/2017-04/18/nw.D110000wzb_20170418_2-05.htm?div=-1 |access-date=21 June 2019 |website=Guangming Daily |archive-date=28 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928183754/https://epaper.gmw.cn/wzb/html/2017-04/18/nw.D110000wzb_20170418_2-05.htm?div=-1 |url-status=live }} In 1979, Chiung Yao married her publisher Ping Hsin-tao, who had had three children with his first wife Lin Wan-zhen. In 2018, Lin published a memoir in which she accused Chiung Yao of breaking up her marriage.{{cite news |date=24 April 2018 |title=Publishing magnate's ex on queen of romance novels: 'The biggest problem in my marriage was Chiung Yao' |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/publishing-magnates-former-wife-the-biggest-problem-in-my-marriage-was |accessdate=7 June 2019 |work=The Straits Times |archive-date=7 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607151751/https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/publishing-magnates-former-wife-the-biggest-problem-in-my-marriage-was |url-status=live }}

After Ping suffered a stroke and lost nearly all ability to communicate, Chiung Yao had a falling out with her step-children over whether to continue his intubation.{{cite news |last1=Hsia |first1=Heidi |date=4 August 2017 |title=Ping Xin-tao's son gives response to Chiung Yao |url=https://sg.style.yahoo.com/ping-xin-tao-apos-son-090100169.html |accessdate=7 June 2019 |publisher=Yahoo! News Singapore |archive-date=7 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607151752/https://sg.style.yahoo.com/ping-xin-tao-apos-son-090100169.html |url-status=live }} Thereafter, she became a supporter of voluntary euthanasia, as expressed in her open letter published in March 2017.{{cite journal |last1=Chih-hsiung |first1=Chen |title=Legislating the Right-To-Die With Dignity in a Confucian Society—Taiwan's Patient Right to Autonomy Act |url=https://repository.uclawsf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1837&context=hastings_international_comparative_law_review |journal=Hastings International and Comparative Law Review |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=485–508 |access-date=5 December 2024 |archive-date=27 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127232018/https://repository.uclawsf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1837&context=hastings_international_comparative_law_review |url-status=live }} Ping died on 23 May 2019, at the age of 92.{{Cite web |author1=Chen Cheng-wei |author2=Chung Yu-chen |date=4 June 2019 |title=Crown Magazine founding publisher dies aged 92 |url=http://focustaiwan.tw/search/201906040021.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607151751/http://focustaiwan.tw/search/201906040021.aspx |archive-date=7 June 2019 |access-date=7 June 2019 |agency=Central News Agency}}

File:1080422瓊瑤宴浪漫開席通稿-04.jpg and Chiung Yao at a banquet]]She refrained from expressing political opinions until 2018 when Kuomintang candidate Han Kuo-yu won the Kaohsiung mayoral election. Following his victory, Chiung Yao published an open letter praising him and later accepted an invitation to serve as the chief consultant for Kaohsiung's Love Industry Chain project. In 2020, upon learning of Han's presidential campaign, she once again expressed strong support, referring to him as a "hero" in her writings. After Han's defeat in the election, she posted a message stating: "Though the people may shed tears, the hero remains unyielding. After the heart-wrenching pain, may the scars heal".{{Cite web |author=謝文哲 |date=5 December 2024 |title=【瓊瑤離世】韓國瑜悼念瓊瑤、劉家昌 心中愴然不捨「如潮水般湧來」 |url=https://www.mirrormedia.mg/story/20241205edi013 |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=鏡週刊 |language=zh-hant}}

On 4 December 2024, Chiung Yao was found dead at her home in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, after an apparent charcoal-burning suicide, and left behind a note.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=《還珠格格》作家瓊瑤離世 最後貼文曝：別哭！我已「翩然」去了 |url=https://www.knews.com.tw/news/6126485E01F67C26994926918FEB6D40 |website=KNews |language=zh-hant}} Her son stated that he had asked her secretary to check on her around midday. Upon entering the house, the secretary discovered that Chiung Yao had no vital signs and immediately called emergency services. When paramedics arrived, they confirmed she had died and did not transport her to the hospital.{{Cite web |author=趙敏雅 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤淡水家中輕生身亡 享壽86歲 |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acul/202412040235.aspx |website=Central News Agency |language=zh-hant}}{{cite web |author=陳柔瑜 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤去世／「這輩子很精采、已經活夠了」 瓊瑤輕生遺書內容曝光 |url=https://www.ctwant.com/article/380547/ |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=CTWANT |language=zh}} Local police confirmed that there was no external intervention in her death.{{Cite web |date=5 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤最終死因獲確定 25億人民幣遺產何去何從 |trans-title=Chiung Yao's final cause of death is determined, where will her 2.5 billion yuan inheritance go? |url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/entertainment/20241205/bkn-20241205142925459-1205_00862_001.html |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Oriental Daily News |language=zh-hant |quote=瓊瑤在家離世，昨天傍晚有關方面確定是「一氧化碳中毒窒息而亡」，初步排除了他殺嫌疑。 |archive-date=5 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205100552/https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/entertainment/20241205/bkn-20241205142925459-1205_00862_001.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last1=Yeh |first1=Kuan-yin |last2=Chao |first2=Min-ya |last3=Lee |first3=Hsin-Yin |date=4 December 2024 |title=Renowned romance novelist Chiung Yao dies by suicide at 86 |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/culture/202412040017 |access-date=4 December 2024 |language=en-US |agency=Central News Agency }} Republished in part as: {{cite news |last1=Chin |first1=Jonathan |date=5 December 2024 |title=Novelist Chiung Yao, pop icon Steven Liu pass away |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/12/05/2003828007 |access-date=5 December 2024 |work=Taipei Times |archive-date=4 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204230816/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2024/12/05/2003828007 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=Taiwan romance novelist Chiung Yao dies at 86 |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241204-taiwan-romance-novelist-chiung-yao-dies-at-86 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=France 24 |language=en}} She died at the age of 86.{{cite news |last1=Wu |first1=Xinyi |date=4 December 2024 |title=Breaking |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3289329/chiung-yao-chinese-novelist-dies-suicide-writes-i-burned-all-my-strength |access-date=4 December 2024 |work=South China Morning Post |quote=Chiung Yao, Taiwanese novelist, dies by suicide, writes 'I burned with all my strength' |archive-date=4 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204091746/https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3289329/chiung-yao-chinese-novelist-dies-suicide-writes-i-burned-all-my-strength |url-status=live }}

Six days before her death, Chiung Yao had posted a tribute to her late husband on social media.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=知名作家瓊瑤離世 趙薇罕見發微博悼念 |url=https://www.dw.com/zh-hant/%E7%9F%A5%E5%90%8D%E4%BD%9C%E5%AE%B6%E7%93%8A%E7%91%A4%E9%9B%A2%E4%B8%96-%E8%B6%99%E8%96%87%E7%BD%95%E8%A6%8B%E7%99%BC%E5%BE%AE%E5%8D%9A%E6%82%BC%E5%BF%B5/a-70955099 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=Deutsche Welle Chinese |language=zh}} In her suicide note, she described her death as "flitting away",{{Cite news |date=4 December 2024 |title=Celebrated Taiwanese author Chiung Yao passes away at 86, leaving a lasting literary legacy |url=https://www.dimsumdaily.hk/celebrated-taiwanese-author-chiung-yao-passes-away-at-86-leaving-a-lasting-literary-legacy/ |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=Dimsum Daily |language=en-US}} and wrote, "I have truly lived, never wasted my life".{{Cite news |last=蔡苡柔 |date=4 December 2024 |title=《還珠格格》作者瓊瑤家中輕生亡 遺書要年輕人「不要放棄生命」 |trans-title=Chiung Yao, the author of "Huan Zhu Princess", committed suicide at home and wrote a suicide note asking young people to "don't give up life" |url=https://www.hk01.com/%E5%8F%B0%E7%81%A3%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E/1081916/%E9%82%84%E7%8F%A0%E6%A0%BC%E6%A0%BC-%E4%BD%9C%E8%80%85%E7%93%8A%E7%91%A4%E5%AE%B6%E4%B8%AD%E8%BC%95%E7%94%9F%E4%BA%A1-%E9%81%BA%E6%9B%B8%E8%A6%81%E5%B9%B4%E8%BC%95%E4%BA%BA-%E4%B8%8D%E8%A6%81%E6%94%BE%E6%A3%84%E7%94%9F%E5%91%BD |access-date=4 December 2024 |work=HK01 |language=zh-hant}} Later that afternoon, her secretary posted a pre-recorded video and her final written work, When Snowflakes Fall, on Chiung Yao's Facebook page.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=台湾知名作家琼瑶去世 |url=https://www.zaobao.com.sg/realtime/china/story20241204-5487791 |website=Lianhe Zaobao |language=zh-hans}}{{Citation |title=《當雪花飄落》 ...... |url=https://www.facebook.com/100001765494957/videos/1267059781011619/ |language= |accessdate=4 December 2024 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20241204115338/https://www.facebook.com/100001765494957/videos/1267059781011619/ |archivedate=4 December 2024}}{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=「我是火花，已盡力燃燒過」作家瓊瑤享壽86歲，最後遺言：別錯過那些屬於你的精彩 |url=https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/81564/chiung-yao-suicide |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241204124518/https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/81564/chiung-yao-suicide |archive-date=4 December 2024 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=BusinessNext |language=zh-hant}} In her final social media message, she expressed a desire to avoid the pain of "weakness, deterioration, illness, hospital visits, treatment, and lingering suffering". However, she also urged younger generations not to give up on life easily.{{Cite web |author=葉冠吟 |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤生前留遺筆 叮囑年輕人千萬別輕易放棄生命 {{!}} 文化 |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acul/202412040275.aspx |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=Central News Agency |language=zh-hant}} Many actors who had starred in her works, such as Zhao Wei, expressed their condolences online.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤驚傳離世！ 《還珠格格》趙薇、蘇有朋發文悼念 |url=https://news.ttv.com.tw/news/11312040003000W |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=TTV News |language=zh-Hant}}

Her death also sparked discussions in Taiwan about euthanasia.{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤驚傳離世！告別再倡尊嚴死 引起網友熱議「安樂死」 |url=https://udn.com/news/story/124294/8403879 |access-date=4 December 2024 |website=United Daily News |language=zh-hant}} On 5 December, Chiung Yao's family announced on Facebook that, as per her last will, no public commemorations would be held, in order to avoid using public resources.{{Cite web |author=齊森 |date=5 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤家屬發帖文 遵從母親囑咐不設公祭 |url=https://www.mpweekly.com/entertainment/article/%E7%93%8A%E7%91%A4%E5%AE%B6%E5%B1%AC%E7%99%BC%E5%B8%96%E6%96%87-%E9%81%B5%E5%BE%9E%E6%AF%8D%E8%A6%AA%E5%9B%91%E5%92%90%E4%B8%8D%E8%A8%AD%E5%85%AC%E7%A5%AD |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Ming Pao Weekly |language=zh-hant}}

Chinese dissident Wang Dan expressed disapproval of Chiung Yao's later political stance but urged respect for others' choices to mourn or not mourn her death. He emphasised that "not everything in this world needs to be measured by political correctness".{{Cite web |date=4 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤成為韓粉不值得悼念？王丹：不是一切都要以政治正確與否衡量 |url=https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E7%93%8A%E7%91%A4%E6%88%90%E7%82%BA%E9%9F%93%E7%B2%89%E4%B8%8D%E5%80%BC%E5%BE%97%E6%82%BC%E5%BF%B5-%E7%8E%8B%E4%B8%B9-%E4%B8%8D%E6%98%AF-%E5%88%87%E9%83%BD%E8%A6%81%E4%BB%A5%E6%94%BF%E6%B2%BB%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E8%88%87%E5%90%A6%E8%A1%A1%E9%87%8F-213532934.html |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Yahoo News |language=zh-hant}}

Chiung Yao's romance novels were very well received in Taiwan, and by the 1990s, she was also one of the best-selling authors in China.{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE4DD153CF93AA25751C0A967958260|title=A Taiwan Pop Singer Sways the Mainland|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas D.|date=19 February 1991|work=The New York Times|accessdate=25 May 2010|archive-date=18 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190918205758/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/19/arts/a-taiwan-pop-singer-sways-the-mainland.html|url-status=live}} She has since been enormously popular throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Chiung Yao's readership and viewership are predominantly female, owing to her emphasis on the feelings of young women.{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Taiwan Cinema|last=Lee|first=Daw-ming|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8108-6792-5|pages=125–8|publisher=The Scarecrow Press}} Her biggest sellers are Outside the Window and Deep Is the Courtyard (1969), which have been repeatedly reprinted. She is often regarded as the most popular romance novelist in the Chinese-speaking world.{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of Modern Chinese Literature |url=https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00ying|url-access=limited|last=Ying|first=Li-hua|year=2010|publisher=The Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-5516-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00ying/page/n185 157]}}

Her novels have been praised for the prose, the poetry that is part of her earlier works, and the literary allusions of their titles. The Columbia Companion to Modern East Asian Literature states the novels are sometimes described as "morbid", as some feature socially or ethically questionable romantic relationships (e.g. between teacher and student). Her romance novels and their film adaptions have been criticized for their melodramatic plotlines{{cite book|last1=Xiao|first1=Zhiwei|last2=Zhang|first2=Yingjin|title=Encyclopaedia of Chinese Film|date=2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134745531|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ez2EAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT433}}{{cite book|last1=Yeh|first1=Emilie Yueh-yu|last2=Davis|first2=Darrell William|title=Taiwan Film Directors: A Treasure Island|date=2013|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231502993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HPkIoOwlWtwC&pg=PT30}} and long-winded dialogues.{{cite book|last1=Feng|first1=Jin|title=Romancing the Internet: Producing and Consuming Chinese Web Romance |date=2013 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004259720 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQGaAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA50}}

Chiung Yao's second husband was Ping Hsin-tao, the head of Crown Publishing, with whom she had an eight-year extramarital affair before their marriage. Her father, Chen Chih-ping, was a professor in the Department of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan Normal University. Her mother, Yuan Hsing-shu, taught Chinese at Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School. Her maternal grandfather, Yuan Li-chen, served as the first president of the Bank of Communications. Her maternal grandmother, Tseng Yi, was self-taught and excelled in poetry and painting. She was also a nationally renowned female physician in China. Her granduncle, {{ill|Yuan Li-zhun|zh|袁勵準}}, was a tutor to the Xuantong Emperor. Her aunt, Yuan Jing, was a writer, and another aunt, Yuan Xiaoyuan, was China's first female diplomat and tax official.

Chiung Yao was an atheist. In her later years, she expressed respect for religion on multiple occasions but consistently rejected any form of proselytisation or religious rituals. She regarded ghosts and deities as elements of literature and drama and rejected the possibility of their existence in reality. She advocated confronting life by enriching oneself rather than relying on religion or superstitions.{{Cite web |last=數位內容部整理 |date=5 December 2024 |title=瓊瑤死因出爐...支持安樂死「想沒痛苦死去」！7年前一封「身後事拜託信」曝光：10件事千萬別對我做 – 今周刊 |url=https://www.businesstoday.com.tw/article/category/183036/post/202412040075/ |access-date=6 December 2024 |website=www.businesstoday.com.tw |language=zh-Hant-TW |archive-date=5 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205081107/https://www.businesstoday.com.tw/article/category/183036/post/202412040075/ |url-status=live }}

In her will, she explicitly requested that no religious practices be used to commemorate her - such as setting up a mourning hall, burning joss paper, or holding traditional rituals like the "seven-day rites". Instead, she expressed a preference for an eco-friendly flower burial. She emphasized that death was a deeply personal matter and should not impose a burden on others.

{{Reflist}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080510153443/http://www.chiungyao.com.tw/ Official website] (archived)
• {{IMDb name}}

{{Chiung Yao}}

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Category:1938 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:2024 suicides

Category:20th-century Chinese short story writers

Category:20th-century novelists

Category:20th-century Taiwanese women writers

Category:20th-century Taiwanese writers

Category:21st-century novelists

Category:21st-century Taiwanese women writers

Category:21st-century Taiwanese writers

Category:Chinese Civil War refugees

Category:Chinese film producers

Category:Chinese lyricists

Category:Chinese television producers

Category:Chinese twins

Category:Chinese women novelists

Category:Chinese women short story writers

Category:Second Sino-Japanese War refugees

Category:Short story writers from Sichuan

Category:Suicides in Taiwan

Category:Taiwanese film producers

Category:Taiwanese lyricists

Category:Taiwanese people from Sichuan

Category:Taiwanese television producers

Category:Taiwanese twins

Category:Taiwanese women novelists

Category:Taiwanese women short story writers

Category:Women television producers

Category:Writers from Chengdu

Category:Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning