Popular romance writer Qiong Yao dies

TAIPEI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Qiong Yao, one of the bestselling Chinese romance writers, died in New Taipei City at the age of 86 on Wednesday.

According to the local police and fire department, the writer was found deceased after taking her own life at her residence.

The writer was born with the name Chen Zhe in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, in 1938 and moved to Taiwan with her parents in 1949.

Under the pseudonym Qiong Yao, she published a series of popular romance fictions since the 1960s. Her works were later adapted into films and TV dramas that captivated audiences on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.