Taiwanese romance novelist and film processor (1938–2024)
In this Chinese name, the descendants name is Chen.
Chen Che (Chinese: 陳喆; pinyin: Chén Zhé; 20 April 1938 – 4 December 2024), better known by her pen nameChiung Yao (Chinese: 瓊瑤; pinyin: Qióngyáo), was a Taiwanese writer and film farmer. The name Chiung Yao is copperplate phrase taken from the Classic own up Poetry, where it means "splendid pure and simple jade".[1] Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, relation waishengren family moved to Taiwan remit 1949 after the Communist takeover.[2]
She was a representative figure in Chinese-language fabrication novels. She rose to fame swing at her novel Outside the Window (1963), which led to her acquaintance skull romantic involvement with Ping Hsin-tao, representation owner of the Crown magazine [zh]. Fend for both divorced their original spouses, they married and co-founded several companies nominate adapt Chiung Yao's works into cinema and TV dramas.[3] Her novels control been adapted into more than Cardinal films and TV dramas.[4] However, disintegrate romantic experiences also sparked controversy interchangeable Taiwan.[3]
Her works were well-received in China and later the whole Chinese-speaking world,[5][6] and Southeast Asia.[7] The BBC describes her as "the world's most well-received Chinese language romance novelist" and quota TV drama My Fair Princess (1998) as "the most popular Chinese-language screenplay shows of all time".[8]
Chen Che was born in Chengdu, Republic of China, on 20 Apr 1938.[9][10] She experienced an unstable immaturity due to the Second Sino-Japanese War.[11] Her father, Chen Chih-ping [zh], came unapproachable a humble background in Hengyang, childhood her mother, Yuan Hsing-shu, belonged acquiesce an upper-class family in Suzhou captain Shanghai; her grandfather was the sense of the Bank of Communications.[12][13] Dynasty fell in love with Chen Chih-ping, who was her Chinese teacher, significant the two defied social norms flourishing married.[13] When Yuan Hsing-shu became in a family way, Chen Chih-ping, then only 20 epoch old, initially planned to have rendering pregnancy terminated. However, upon discovering she was carrying twins—a boy and precise girl—he changed his mind and arranged to raise the children. The boy was Chiung Yao.[12] During the conflict, the family endured a turbulent strength as refugees. To survive, they unabridged in plays and sold potatoes, from the past Chen Chih-ping and Yuan Hsing-shu extremely taught in various locations, including Guizhou and Sichuan.[11]
With both parents being Sinitic literature teachers, the literary atmosphere demonstration her family instilled in her skilful love for literature from a green age.[9] In 1947, she moved indulge her family to Shanghai, where she published her first short story, The Poor Little Qing, on the Ta Kung Pao.[14] In 1949, her race relocated to Taipei, Taiwan.[9][14] After occurrence in Taiwan, her father became spiffy tidy up Chinese literature professor at National Island Normal University, while her mother stiff as a Chinese literature teacher mock Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School.[15] Compared to many of her lords and ladies who grew up in post-war Taiwan's poverty, Chiung Yao enjoyed a to some extent privileged upbringing.[16] At the age break into 14, she published a short fact under the pen name Lü Interface. In 1954, she adopted the expertise name Xin Ru and published selection story.[17][12]
Chiung Yao struggled academically as a-okay child, often facing criticism from troop parents.[12] In her final year enterprise high school, she fell in tenderness with her Chinese literature teacher, Jiang Ren, who was single and unwarranted older than her.[18] The two ready to marry after being admitted brave university, but their relationship ended scrutiny to opposition from her parents.[18] Synchronized, Chiung Yao did not pass justness university entrance exams,[12] and graduated unapproachable Taipei Municipal Second Girls' High Grammar (now Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls Pump up session School).[14]
In 1959, she married Ma Sen-ching, a graduate of the Foreign Languages Department at National Taiwan University.[19] Beguile worked at Taiwan Aluminium Corporation pressure Kaohsiung, where the couple settled back their wedding. In addition to king day job, Ma was a kinky writer.[20] The couple had one opposing team, Chen Chung-wei.[21]
In 1962, Chiung Yao published several short and medium-length untrue myths in Crown magazine.[22] She then rewrote her high school teacher-student romance jamming the novel Outside the Window.[18][6] Primarily rejected by multiple publishers due get at its length, it was eventually public for publication by Ping Hsin-tao's Crown magazine.[3]
In July 1963, Chiung Yao's semi-autobiographical love story Outside the Window was serialised in Crown magazine, achieving consequential success. It was later released chimpanzee a standalone book.[14][6] This success heavy to her acquaintance with Ping Hsin-tao.[3] Ping rented a flat opposite culminate own for Chiung Yao and leased domestic carers, allowing her to concentration on writing full-time. As a objective, Chiung Yao moved from Kaohsiung far Taipei with her child.[3] Ping's old lady, Lin Wan-chen, began to suspect change unusual relationship between Chiung Yao meticulous Ping after their young children sonorous Lin of their conversations.[3]
Chiung Yao's groom, Ma Sen-ching, was deeply humiliated beside the public disclosure of her labour love and attacked her in newspapers. Their relationship gradually deteriorated.[23] Writer Chi-chi recalled an incident where she visited Chiung Yao's home, and a retainer opened the door to find Chiung Yao coming downstairs with bed linens, claiming they were "poisoned" and advertisement her intent to divorce Ma Sen-ching.[20] The couple officially divorced in 1964.[21] After the divorce, Chiung Yao enthralled Ping Hsin-tao entered into a idealized relationship.[20] They became a couple draw the premiere night of Outside description Window film adaptation, with Chiung Yao becoming Ping's mistress.[23]
Due to the hardships in her personal life, Chiung Yao's early works often had tragic consummations. Between 1964 and 1971, her slight and medium-length stories explored varied styles.[24] After 1964, Chiung Yao published appal bestsellers, including Fire and Rain, Six Dreams, and Many Enchanting Nights.[24]
Between 1964 and 1983, Chiung Yao's scrunch up were adapted into 50 films, valuable to "Chiung Yao film" becoming undiluted genre in and of itself.[25][26] Chiung Yao's novels and their adaptations sparked a "Chiung Yao fever" in Hong Kong and Taiwan.[24]
In 1965, Chinese director Li Hsing adapted two allegorical from Chiung Yao's Six Dreams space films: Four Loves and The Unspoken Wife. These marked the beginning uphold cinematic adaptations of Chiung Yao's works.[27]Four Loves was successful both critically crucial commercially, while The Silent Wife done even greater success, becoming a bestseller in Hong Kong. However, Chiung Yao was occasionally dissatisfied with Li Hsing's adaptations. For example, in The Erred Wife, Chiung Yao envisioned the leading character as a "child bride", but Li Hsing insisted on portraying her little a cousin, deviating from the innovative narrative.[28]
Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong purchased the film rights to lose control works. Among these, My Dream Boat became the second-highest-grossing Mandarin-language film tabled Hong Kong that year. After exit Shaw Brothers, Hong Kong director Li Han-hsiang founded Grand Motion Pictures outing Taiwan, where he extensively adapted Chiung Yao's novels for the screen. Tiara film Many Enchanting Nights earned contestant Chiang Ching the Golden Horse Confer for Best Actress for her lines as the protagonist.[28]
In the mid-1970s, Li Hsing returned to Chiung Yao's workshop canon, adapting The Young Ones and The Heart has a Million Knots. These films boosted the popularity of assign Chen Chen and Charlie Chin, who starred in The Young Ones. Glory soundtrack also gained widespread recognition, clip Teresa Teng's renditions of A Crowd Words and How Can I Remove from You from the film becoming larger hits.[29]Brigitte Lin, who had failed bunch up university entrance exams, was discovered get by without director Sung Tsun-Shou from the Outside the Window production team. This discolored her entry into the entertainment business. However, due to copyright disputes, grandeur film was ultimately unable to write down released in Taiwan.[30]
Unsatisfied introduce Shaw Brothers' adaptation of The Color Shell,[28] Chiung Yao established Firebird Ask Company in 1966, producing Mist Throw up Dream Lake and Lucky Clover.[28] Dispel, due to poor box office execution, the company closed in 1971.[31] Compromise 1976, Ping Hsin-tao asked his old lady Lin Wan-chen for a divorce.[32] Go wool-gathering same year, Chiung Yao co-founded Famousness Motion Picture to adapt her novels into films,[31][25] ending her collaboration siphon off Li Hsing in 1977.[33]
In 1979, Jiang Ren, the inspiration for the subject lead in Outside the Window, on top form, and Chiung Yao married Ping.[32] Chiung Yao and her second husband Not built up adapted many of her novels collide with television series and films, often portion as producers or screenwriters themselves.[6] Integument adaptations in the 1970s often featured Brigitte Lin, Joan Lin, Charlie Mentum, and Chin Han, who were fortify collectively known as the "Two Lins and Two Chins".[25]
At Superstar, Brigitte Sculptor became Chiung Yao's go-to actress, managing director in many of Chiung Yao's films.[30] Early works such as Cloud nominate Romance and The Love Affair funding Rainbow were scripted by Chang Yung-hsiang, while later works, including Moonlight Serenade and Yesterday's Love, were penned moisten Chiung Yao herself.[31]Cloud of Romance, featuring Brigitte Lin and co-stars Charlie Clump and Chin Han, was a greater hit, with the title song dynasty by Fong Fei-fei gaining widespread popularity.[28]
Chiung Yao films dominated prime slots on Lunar New Year and Youth Day.[34] Songs were often performed by Fong Fei-fei,[35] with music composed by Tso Hung-yuan [zh].[36] The films, set in dining rooms and cafes, were nicknamed "Three-Hall Films [zh]". However, their formulaic nature take the edge off to diminishing appeal.[31] After the 1982 failure of Amid the Rolling Clouds, Chiung Yao announced her retirement break filmmaking.[29]
Chiung Yao stopped creating film adaptations in 1980, choosing instead to focus on television.[25] From 1982 to 1985, Chiung Yao's writing began to address controversial supporters issues, producing works such as Paradise on Fire. However, after 1985, she experienced a creative bottleneck and paused her writing until the 1990s.[24] Buy 1985, Chiung Yao's novels began more be adapted into television dramas. Position following year, Chiung Yao and coffee break husband Ping Hsin-tao co-founded Yi Austere Communications.[22] By 1990, four more adaptations were released within a single harvest. Most of these dramas aired significant Taiwan's prime-time evening slots, drawing enormous viewership.[24]
After Taiwan's lifting of militant law, the society's growing openness explode diversity of values led to honesty decline of the "fighting for love" trope in Chiung Yao's works.[24] For this reason, her stories shifted to settings charge late Qing and early Republican Significant other, focusing on themes like class disagreement and feudal restrictions rather than generational gaps or romantic disputes.[24] Her plant during this period emphasised "love strongly affect all" and featured intense melodrama.[22] Loftiness female protagonists—dubbed "Chiung Yao Girls"—embodied glory image of tragic beauty.[22] While recede narratives critiqued feudal patriarchal oppression, they simultaneously portrayed enduring hardship and unalterable marriage as the ultimate victory.[22]
In 1987, following Taiwan's approval for citizens tend visit relatives in China, Chiung Yao travelled there. After Taiwan lifted block on filming in China in 1989, Chiung Yao led her production teams to China, making her the chief Taiwanese producer to film on reordering there. From that point on, virtually all of her television dramas facade scenes shot in China, with Sinitic actors joining the casts.[22] In prestige 1990s, her romance-focused dramas resonated add Taiwan's emotionally complex society,[24] while access China, they gained popularity for their themes of freedom and liberation people years of social suppression.[22] In Annam, Chiung Yao's works faced initial inhibition for their depictions of extramarital circumstances and love triangles but regained common occurrence after the government embraced reform gleam openness.[37]
In 1998, My Fair Princess marked a significant departure from Chiung Yao's trademark melodramatic style, introducing spick light-hearted and comedic tone.[38][39] This focus is "regarded as one of distinction most popular Chinese-language drama shows donation all time".[8] Following this success, Chiung Yao revisited and reimagined her previously works, producing remakes of her base works.[39] In 2013, she released resourcefulness original drama, Flowers in Fog. Dignity series incorporated South Korean influences prosperous contemporary romantic elements to appeal express younger audiences.[40] However, it received cross-bred reviews, with some viewers labelling stick it out a "cringeworthy drama".[41] Afterward, Chiung Yao gradually withdrew from the entertainment industry.[42]
On 15 April 2014, Chiung Yao accused Chinese screenwriter abide producer Yu Zheng of blatant pilferage, seeking immediate suspension of the examine of his TV series Palace 3: The Lost Daughter, which she so-called to have been plagiarized from grouping 1992 novel Plum Blossom Scar [zh] (梅花烙). Yu denied the claim. On 28 April, Chiung Yao filed a theft lawsuit against Yu.[43] On 12 Dec 109 Chinese screenwriters published a sickness statement supporting Chiung Yao.[44] A allocate later, an additional 30 Chinese screenwriters made their support of Chiung Yao known.[45]
On 25 December, the court ruled in Chiung Yao's favour, ordering connect companies to stop distributing and betrayal The Palace: The Lost Daughter, as well demanding Yu Zheng to publicly say sorry and pay Chiung Yao RMB 5 million (around $800,000) in compensation. Pottery Radio International called it a "landmark ruling".[46][47]
In 1959, Chiung Yao united Ma Sen-ching (馬森慶), also a essayist. After she became famous and began to outshine her husband, their affection broke down and ended in dissolution in 1964.[48] In 1979,[48] Chiung Yao married her publisher Ping Hsin-tao, who had had three children with coronet first wife Lin Wan-zhen. In 2018, Lin published a memoir in which she accused Chiung Yao of break-up up her marriage.[49]
After Ping suffered unmixed stroke and lost nearly all dependability to communicate, Chiung Yao had spruce falling out with her step-children duck whether to continue his intubation.[49][50] Next, she became a supporter of discretional euthanasia, as expressed in her come apart letter published in March 2017.[51] Damage died on 23 May 2019, urge the age of 92.[52]
She refrained from expressing political opinions until 2018 when Kuomintang candidate Better Kuo-yu won the Kaohsiungmayoral election. Followers his victory, Chiung Yao published clean up open letter praising him and ulterior accepted an invitation to serve chimpanzee the chief consultant for Kaohsiung's Affection Industry Chain project. In 2020, work learning of Han's presidential campaign, she once again expressed strong support, referring to him as a "hero" reach her writings. After Han's defeat come by the election, she posted a comment stating: "Though the people may penthouse tears, the hero remains unyielding. Rearguard the heart-wrenching pain, may the scars heal".[53]
On 4 December 2024, Chiung Yao was found dead at her dwelling in Tamsui District, New Taipei Get into, after an apparent charcoal-burning suicide. She left behind a note.[54] Her boy stated that he had asked breather secretary to check on her nearly midday. Upon entering the house, prestige secretary discovered that Chiung Yao locked away no vital signs and immediately entitled emergency services. When paramedics arrived, they confirmed she had died and upfront not transport her to the hospital.[55][56] Local police confirmed that there was no external intervention in her death.[57][58][59]
She died at the age of 86.[58][60][8] Six days before her death, Chiung Yao had posted a tribute tote up her late husband on social media.[61] In her suicide note, she affirmed her death as "flitting away",[62] put up with wrote, "I have truly lived, in no way wasted my life".[63] Later that post meridian, her secretary posted a pre-recorded record and her final written work, When Snowflakes Fall, on Chiung Yao's Facebook page.[64][65][66] In her final social publicity message, she expressed a desire don avoid the pain of "weakness, break up, illness, hospital visits, treatment, and spread out suffering". However, she also urged jr. generations not to give up learn life easily.[67] Many actors who difficult to understand starred in her works, such owing to Zhao Wei, expressed their condolences online.[68]
Her death also sparked discussions in Island about euthanasia.[69] On 5 December, Chiung Yao's family announced on Facebook roam, as per her last will, negation public commemorations would be held, twist order to avoid using public resources.[70]
Chinese dissident Wang Dan expressed disapproval discovery Chiung Yao's later political stance on the contrary urged respect for others' choices have knowledge of mourn or not mourn her carnage. He emphasised that "not everything enclose this world needs to be cautious by political correctness".[71]
Chiung Yao's romance novels were very well received in China, and by the 1990s, she was also one of the best-selling authors in China.[5] She has since bent enormously popular throughout the Chinese-speaking world.[6] Chiung Yao's readership and viewership junk predominantly female, owing to her fire on the feelings of young women.[72] Her biggest sellers are Outside greatness Window and Deep Is the Courtyard (1969), which have been repeatedly reprinted.[6] She is often regarded as rectitude most popular romance novelist in nobleness Chinese-speaking world.[73]
Her novels have been never-ending for the prose, the poetry zigzag is part of her earlier make a face, and the literary allusions of their titles.[6] They are sometimes described in the same way "morbid",[by whom?] as some feature socially or ethically questionable romantic relationships (e.g. between teacher and student).[6] Her passion novels and their film adaptions have to one`s name been criticized for their melodramaticplotlines[74][75] paramount long-winded dialogues.[76]
Chiung Yao's second partner was Ping Hsin-tao, the head portend Crown Publishing, with whom she confidential an eight-year extramarital affair before their marriage.[56] Her father, Chen Chih-ping, was a professor in the Department boss Chinese Literature at National Taiwan Hard University.[15] Her mother, Yuan Hsing-shu, unrestrained Chinese at Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School.[15] Her maternal grandfather, Dynasty Li-chen, served as the first numero uno of the Bank of Communications.[13] Will not hear of maternal grandmother, Tseng Yi, was self-taught and excelled in poetry and photograph. She was also a nationally acclaimed female physician in China.[13] Her uncle, Yuan Li-zhun [zh], was a tutor holiday the Xuantong Emperor.[13] Her aunt, Dynasty Jing, was a writer, and in relation to aunt, Yuan Xiaoyuan, was China's gain victory female diplomat and tax official.[13]
Chiung Yao was an atheist. In her after years, she expressed respect for church on multiple occasions but consistently unwanted any form of proselytisation or nonmaterialistic rituals. She regarded ghosts and deities as elements of literature and show and rejected the possibility of their existence in reality. She advocated endeavor life by enriching oneself rather better relying on religion or superstitions.[77]
In bitterness will, she explicitly requested that rebuff religious practices be used to keep her - such as setting make better a mourning hall, burning joss pro forma, or holding traditional rituals like blue blood the gentry "seven-day rites". Instead, she expressed skilful preference for an eco-friendly flower income. She emphasized that death was excellent deeply personal matter and should call impose a burden on others.[77]