The genre is dominated in pop memory by
琼瑶 (Qióng Yáo, Taiwan, 1938-2024) — her 50+ novels and TV adaptations (《
还珠格格》, 《
情深深雨濛濛》) defined Chinese-language romance for the 1980s-90s, to the point that
琼瑶式 (Qiongyao-style) became shorthand for melodramatic love stories.
