Getty Images
Chiung Yao, arguably the world's most popular Chinese novelist, has died in an apparent suicide.
The body of the 86-year-old woman was found at her home in New Taipei City on Wednesday, according to local media. Emergency services said she had committed suicide, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.
Chiung Yao began writing at age 18 and has published more than 60 novels, many of which have been adapted into films and television series and remained popular for decades.
She was also a successful screenwriter and producer. One of his most famous works was the television series My Fair Princess, which launched the careers of major stars.
She was born Chen Che in Sichuan, China in 1938. Chiung Yao is her pseudonym.
A message posted Wednesday on her Facebook account read: “Goodbye, my loved ones. I feel lucky to have met and known you in this life.” It was not immediately clear whether the post was made before or after her body was found.
Chiung Yao asked young people to “not give up on life easily” and only face death when they “live to be 86 or 87 years old.” She asked her followers not to be sad for her.
She has not been active in recent years. However, she made headlines in 2017 after her dispute with her stepchildren over how to care for her then-ill husband became public.
Chiung Yao spent part of his childhood in mainland China as his family moved across the country during the Sino-Japanese War.
The family moved to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese Communist Party took control of the mainland.
Getty Images
Chiung Yao's TV series My Fair Princess launched the careers of Zhao Wei (left) and Fan Bingbing.
Chiung Yao's first novel, Outside The Window, inspired by his own love affair with his high school teacher, was extremely popular.
Its television series My Fair Princess, a Cinderella story set in the 18th-century Qing dynasty, is considered one of the most popular Chinese-language drama series of all time.
He launched the careers of big names in entertainment, including Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing. Fan would go on to become one of China's biggest stars, until she was fined for tax evasion in 2018.
The series' main actors, Ruby Lin and Zhao Wei, have become household names among Chinese audiences.
Lin remained active as an actor and producer in Taiwan. However, Zhao has remained silent in recent years after her billionaire friend, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, got into trouble with authorities in Beijing.
