The Zhijia Star is a regional weekly newspaper in Jiaozhi. Subsidiary of the FangCaiRyeo Group.Lü Jiyu: 4336-443327 April 4433
Jiyu has passed away at the age of 97. Her final will has directed her daughter, Lü Ae-cha, to organize a grand funeral that celebrates art and design, featuring Jiyu’s own greatest works as well as the art of those she admired. As the family quickly moves to fulfill this wish, invitations for the funeral are also being distributed to a number of Jiyu’s friends, along with other famous figures specifically asked for by Jiyu, including the Jianxao Emperor, members of the Imperial Household, major business leaders, including Tang Sulan, among hundreds others.
The daughter of Ryeo Seojun, Jiyu was a controversial public figure with a split of adoring fans and furious haters. Her own brother among the latter, Jiyu and her family were targets of mafia violence that ultimately failed and brought about the implosion of kanpa operations in Jiaozhi. Meanwhile, Jiyu forged ahead, leading her own private company, the House of Jiyu, and, from her publicity in Zhijia City, the district of JiyuTown grew around her mansion and brought new growth and cultural development to Kaizhou. Eventually she even established a theme park centered around an abstract and absurdist view of the world, JiyuWorld in Jugang. And in her later years, Jiyu would found Zifada, the Zhijia Institute for Fashion, Artistic Design, and Architecture, the newest institution of higher education in the city. While projecting a personality of eccentricity, sometimes leading her into confrontations and abrasive encounters, Jiyu also devoted much of her energy into advancing artistic causes in Indrala and supporting educational opportunities for the nation's youth. No doubt she will remain controversial and certainly disliked among many, but many more also love the world that surrounded Jiyu and all her endeavors.
Jiyu's Last Stunt1 May 4433
Guests of Jiyu's funeral "event" were decidedly well fed.Nearly a week following her death, family and guests gathered for Jiyu's funeral ceremony, held close to JiyuTown in Zhijia City. The funeral was attended by at least a hundred guests, including Jiyu’s direct family, the entire Lü Clan, Zifada and House of Jiyu colleagues, and a scattering of many other figures. Among those attending were also Lady Wang Feihung and, of the Imperial Household, Princess Fengmian with her husband Byeon Woo-bin. Art displays surrounded the large room, with guests browsing works of Jiyu herself as well as pieces done by her most beloved artists. As the room filled up and the top of the hour neared, Lü Ae-cha motioned for the beginning of the funeral ceremonials. Jiyu’s daughter tearfully delivered the initial speech, sharing stories of her childhood being raised by such a unique person. She thanked her mother for always providing her absolute support throughout her life and for always trying to bring happiness to others, even if it was sometimes without invitation.
Standing alongside Ae-cha, her husband Luk Kwong Yi, next began to offer a short statement about his mother-in-law. However, after only speaking a few words shock spread through the room as Jiyu rolled herself in on her wheelchair and right down the center aisle of the room, very much alive. Carrying out perhaps the greatest stunt of her lifetime, Jiyu grabbed a microphone from her dumbfounded son-in-law and proudly welcomed the crowd to her final celebration. Acknowledging her advanced age, Jiyu expressed her desire to have not a funeral but instead a party before she passes. Under the guise of an actual funeral, Jiyu managed to gather family and some of Indrala’s most notable public figures and stars.
This stunt certainly caused quite a strong mix of emotions, some were humored, others were a bit peeved. Regardless though, Jiyu's directions to her daughter in planning this funeral definitely ensured that all the guests would be treated to great food, drinks, and entertainment. And upon the shocking reveal of her non-death, Jiyu quickly moved towards keeping the "party" going, directing for more food to come out and inviting in a performance by a Yingpop band. Jiyu did express some minor disappointment as the absence of certain invited guests, specifically calling out Tang Sulan and the Emperor, but she immediately dismissed it as "their own loss," before graciously thanking everyone who did come to the ceremony. As the event continued, Jiyu spent much of her time going around the room, ensuring to meet with and personally speak to every single guest that attended.