Famed romance writer devoted to love, ends her life at 86

(ECNS) -- Renowned Chinese romance writer Chiung Yao (pen name) ended her life at the age of 86 in Southeast China's Taiwan on Wednesday, concluding a life dedicated to love and literature.

Chiung was born as Chen Zhe in Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province in 1938 and moved to Taiwan with her parents in 1949.

She said she was born for love, and wrote for love. Under her pen name, she became a household name in the 1960s.

Love has always been the essence of her novels. In her stories of pure romance, love knows no bounds -- its presence is everything.

Her debut novel, Outside the Window, was inspired by her first love with a high school Chinese teacher more than 20 years her senior. Their forbidden student-teacher romance encountered widespread disapproval and ended in heartbreak.

Following the novel’s success, Chiung divorced her first husband and found her true soulmate as her second husband, Ping Xintao. Ping, who was married then, pursued Chiung for 16 years before they were finally together, as Chiung said.

“I embellish love and hold a deep belief in the emotions I portray,” Chiung described herself. This defining trait made her works profoundly touching yet equally susceptible to criticism, contributing to the polarized reception of her literary legacy.

Some literary critics observe that Chiung’s novels craft a dreamscape where romantic love reigns supreme. Her characters prioritize their desires above all else, embodying a profound rebellion.

At a time when societal roles often overshadowed individuality, Chiung's work boldly declared that before being a daughter, mother, or sister, a woman is, above all, a person, and her emotions deserve the highest regard. In Taiwan, which newly emerged from cultural conservatism at the time, this perspective was both revolutionary and deeply significant.

Writer Han Haoyue suggests that the main reason younger readers today may feel a sense of distance from Chiung’s works is the significant gap in historical context. He further noted that despite this gap, people cannot overlook the value of her writing, adding that over time, her novels would continue to shape the emotional lives of generations.

Since publishing her first novel in 1963, Chiung wrote more than 70 works over a career spanning six decades.

Her iconic books, such as Fire and Rain, Yard Deep, Fantasies Behind the Pearly Curtain, and My Fair Princess, were adapted into films and TV series, leaving a profound impact.

She has even been praised with the saying, “Wherever there are Chinese people, there is Chiung Yao.”

Chiung’s films such as Green Grass By The River, Mute Wife and My Fair Princess became massive hits across the Chinese mainland. These series helped launch the careers of actors like Ma Jingtao, Liu Xuehua, Chen Derong, and Lin Xinru.

For the series, netizens widely agree that, no matter her perspective on love, Chiung’s sense of aesthetics remains timeless.

In late September, National Museum of Modem Chinese Literature held a retrospective exhibition of Qion's literary works in Beijing.

In a handwritten letter for the opening ceremony, Chiung said that over her 60-year career and 70-plus books, each novel carried a heartfelt dedication to her readers -- joy and lightness.

As she wrote in her poetry during her lifetime: The past is like smoke, from now on, everything follows fate. Joy and lightness are here beneath this sky.