According to Taiwan’s Dongsen News, Chiung Yao was found dead in her home in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, at 1:22 pm (local time) on December 4. Reports state that after her son discovered a suicide note, she asked her assistant to check on her at home. Rescuers confirmed that Chiung Yao had no pulse or signs of breathing upon arrival.
Before his death, he shared a suicide note on social media, stating: “This is my wish. Death is a path we all must walk, the final act of life. I don’t want to give in to fate or slowly wither away, I want to make a decision about this final event.”
In her farewell letter, the writer cited the poem When snowflakes fall and wrote:
“Dear friends and kindred spirits,
Don’t cry, don’t grieve and don’t pity me. I left. “Freedom” is my favorite word. It means to soar freely and without restriction. I ran away from an increasingly aching body and now “freedom” has turned into snowflakes flying away.
This is my wish. Death is the only way for everyone, the last great task to be completed. I didn’t want to leave my life to fate, nor did I want to slowly wither away. I wanted to make my own decision for this final event.
God’s design for the life process is imperfect. As people age, they go through a painful period of decline, degeneration, illness, hospital visits, treatments, and finally death. The result is inevitable. If you are unlucky, you may become a bedridden elderly person, dependent on life support measures such as intubation. I witnessed this tragedy and I do not wish to die that way.
I am a flame and I burned with all my might. Now, before that flame goes out, I choose this path to return home gracefully. Everything I want to say is recorded in the video When Snowflakes Fall. I hope my friends will watch it many times and understand what I want to express.
My friends, do not mourn my death. Smile with me instead. The beauty of life lies in the ability to love, hate, laugh, cry, sing, speak, run, move and integrate into the world, living carefree and fiercely hating evil. I’ve had all these experiences! I lived fully and never let life let me down!
What I find hardest to let go of are my family and friends. Love has tied itself to my heart and they are the ones I will miss the most. So that my soul (if such a thing exists) can fly freely, please smile, sing and dance for me! My soul in heaven will dance with you.
Goodbye, my dears! I am so happy to have met and gotten to know you all in this lifetime.
Please keep in mind that my way of dying is a choice made at the end of life. Young people, don’t give up on life so easily. Temporary setbacks might just be the rage of a good life. I hope you can overcome the challenges and live to be 60, 70 or 80, like me. Only when your physical strength is truly gone should you consider how to face death. I hope that by then humanity will have found a compassionate way to help the elderly leave with joy.
Be brave, live with a strong sense of self, and make the most of your journey in this world! Although imperfect, the world is full of joys, sorrows, and surprises. Don’t miss out on the wonderful things designed for you!
There is much more to say. Finally, I wish you health, happiness and a carefree and wild life!“
The news of Chiung Yao’s death deeply shocked Chinese public opinion. The family of the famous author has not yet commented on the news of her passing.
Born in 1938 in Sichuan, China, Chiung Yao came from a family with a strong educational background. She is also a distant relative of the late novelists Jin Yong and Xu Zhimo. Chiung Yao’s timeless novels include “Between The Water and Cloud”, “Plum Blossoms Branding”, “Seagull in Flight”, “Romance in the Rain”, “My Fair Princess” and “Clothing of Dreams”. Chiung Yao’s novels are praised for their elegant prose, poetic imagery, and beautiful landscapes and to this day remain unmatched.
His works, when adapted into films, have been much loved and launched the careers of many actors such as Zhao Wei, Ruby Lin, Chen Derong, Jiang Qinqin, Alec Su and Zhou Jie. Among them, “My Fair Princess” is considered a classic television series and a “Chinese screen treasure”.
