Qiong Yao’s Final Work “When Snowflakes Fall” Released: Leaving Behind Her Passionate Love
According to multiple Taiwanese media reports, renowned author Qiong Yao passed away at her home in Danshui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, at around 1:22 pm on December 4th, 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 check on her at home during lunchtime. When the secretary entered Qiong Yao’s home in Danshui District, she was alarmed to find that Qiong Yao had ended her life in her room. Although the secretary immediately called 119 for assistance, by the time emergency personnel 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 social media fan page.
In her final letter, Qiong Yao expressed to her friends and fans, “Dear all, be brave, live a strong ‘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 “rough 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 records show that Qiong Yao, born Chen Zhe in Chengdu, Sichuan, with ancestral roots in Hengyang, Hunan, was a Taiwanese romantic novel writer, screenwriter, film and television producer, and lyricist. Many of her novels have been adapted into TV dramas, including the “Princess Huanzhu” trilogy, “A Dream of Red Mansions,” “Smoke and Rain,” and the “Plum Blossom Trilogy” series, which includes “Scarlet Heart,” “The Phantom Husband,” and “Between the Water and the Clouds.”
