Qiong Yao’s Final Work “When Snowflakes Fall” Released: Leaving Behind Her Passionate Love
According to multiple Taiwan media reports, at approximately 1:22 pm on December 4th, renowned author Qiong Yao passed away at her home in Danshui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, after taking her own life. She was 86 years old.
Citing her son’s statement, the media reported that Qiong Yao left a suicide note and instructed her secretary to come home and check on her at noon. When the secretary entered Qiong Yao’s home in Danshui District, she realized something was wrong and found that Qiong Yao had ended her life in her room. Although the secretary immediately called 119 for assistance, by the time paramedics arrived, Qiong Yao had already stopped breathing and had no heartbeat, showing clear signs of death, so she was not transported to the hospital for emergency treatment.
At 3:03 pm, Qiong Yao’s secretary posted Qiong Yao’s final letter and her last work, “When Snowflakes Fall,” on the author’s official fan page on social media.
In her final letter, Qiong Yao expressed to her friends and readers, “Dear all, be brave, live your strongest ‘self,’ and don’t waste your time in this world! This world, although not perfect, has various unexpected joys, sorrows, and surprises! Don’t miss out on the wonders that belong to you! There are too many words to say, but in the end, I wish everyone health, happiness, and a free and easy life!”
In an article titled “When Snowflakes Fall,” completed in November, she wrote that the journey of life is arduous and bumpy, with “rugged mountain paths” and “terrifying waves on the waterway,” leaving behind word by word and sentence by sentence of her works—her “blazing fire of love.”
Public information shows that Qiong Yao, born Chen Zhe in Chengdu, Sichuan, with ancestral roots in Hengyang, Hunan, was a Taiwanese romance novel writer, screenwriter, film and television producer, and lyricist. Many of her novels have been adapted into TV dramas and films, including the “Princess Huanzhu” trilogy, “A Dream of Red Mansions,” “Rainy Days in Shanghai,” and the “Three Flowers” series, which includes “Scarlet Heart,” “The Phantom Lover,” and “Water Margin.”
