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沙漠的女儿
小说讲述两位来自中国西部的乡村女性，在穿越戈壁沙漠途中遭遇的一系列扣人心弦的挑战。 故事发生在20世纪90年代的甘肃凉州，莹儿和兰兰姑嫂为了改变命运，牵着骆驼一同前往沙漠中的盐池打工。尽管凭借勇气与智慧，她们途中躲过了凶残的豺狗子，熬过了饥渴，克服了泥石流、日晒雨淋等重重困难，但发现自己的命运并未改变，故事以开放式结局暗示她们仍在探索改变命运的可能。 小说聚焦两位女性荒野求生的历险过程，并通过回忆和心理描写，带入中国西部乡村生活之粗粝、艰辛与沙漠风光之壮美、清新，重点讲述了一个关于生存意志、姐妹情谊、女性状况、爱情观念，以及如何在险恶环境下实现自我超越的故事。 美国著名翻译家葛浩文、林丽君夫妇将这部小说翻译为英文小说Into the Desert，荣获中国外文局2022年优秀翻译奖。
230 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2024
About the author
Xuemo.
73 books137 followersXuemo （雪漠）, is a shining star in the Chinese literary and cultural world. Born in Gansu, China, he has a prolific career spanning over 70 works. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages, including English, French, German, Swedish, and Spanish, etc. Nearly 60 foreign-language editions translated by distinguished translators were published worldwide. Since 2019, Xue Mo's works have been consistently globally featured at independent booths at the Frankfurt Book Fairs, the London Book Fari, Los Angeles Book Fair, the AAS Annual Conference, the Tokyo/Hong Kong Film Festival, etc. In 2022, he topped the International Media Spotlight List at the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Honors:
Winner of the 2024 NYC Big Book Award; Winner of the 2024 Independent Press Award; Winner of the 2024 International Impact Book Award; Winner of the 2022 Sri Lanka National Literary Award; Winner of the 2022 Excellent Translation Award by the China International Communications Group (CICG) in global.
Nominated three times for the Mao Dun Literature Prize, Winner of the Dunhuang Literature and Art Award six consecutive times, 2015 Top Ten Figures in Chinese Brand Culture in China, etc.
In China, the School of Foreign Languages at Ningbo University established the "Xue Mo Research Center for Chinese Literary Translation," while the New Era Literary and Art Development Research Center at Central South University founded the "Xue Mo Institute," as well as Wuwei Xue Mo Academy武威雪漠书院, all have been fostered good communications across different cultures.
His cultural pieces, the audio book of Xue Mo's interpretation of the Diamond Sutra, named 《佛陀的智慧》on Ximalaya platform, with over 30 million plays, which has consistently ranked among the top dozen in its category for years.
As of now, Xue Mo's works have garnered attention and reviews by tons of scholars from prestigious universities worldwide, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, Northwestern University, the University of Hawaii, Durham University, the University of Warwick, Heidelberg University, and the University of Munich, etc. Moreover, the number of reviews continues to grow.
For more information about Xue Mo and his books, you could visit our official website: http://xuemo.cn/ ; http://www.xuemo.com/
Honors:
Winner of the 2024 NYC Big Book Award; Winner of the 2024 Independent Press Award; Winner of the 2024 International Impact Book Award; Winner of the 2022 Sri Lanka National Literary Award; Winner of the 2022 Excellent Translation Award by the China International Communications Group (CICG) in global.
Nominated three times for the Mao Dun Literature Prize, Winner of the Dunhuang Literature and Art Award six consecutive times, 2015 Top Ten Figures in Chinese Brand Culture in China, etc.
In China, the School of Foreign Languages at Ningbo University established the "Xue Mo Research Center for Chinese Literary Translation," while the New Era Literary and Art Development Research Center at Central South University founded the "Xue Mo Institute," as well as Wuwei Xue Mo Academy武威雪漠书院, all have been fostered good communications across different cultures.
His cultural pieces, the audio book of Xue Mo's interpretation of the Diamond Sutra, named 《佛陀的智慧》on Ximalaya platform, with over 30 million plays, which has consistently ranked among the top dozen in its category for years.
As of now, Xue Mo's works have garnered attention and reviews by tons of scholars from prestigious universities worldwide, including Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, Northwestern University, the University of Hawaii, Durham University, the University of Warwick, Heidelberg University, and the University of Munich, etc. Moreover, the number of reviews continues to grow.
For more information about Xue Mo and his books, you could visit our official website: http://xuemo.cn/ ; http://www.xuemo.com/
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 24, 2026
3.5 stars
Into The Desert is a condensed book translated from the original three volume series written in Chinese.
It is set in the 1990s is provincial China where poverty and traditional life is only beginning to be touched by the advances seen in the cities.
The story focuses on two women who are sisters-in-law. One has left an abusive relationship, and the other has recently become a widow. To escape their controlling families, village gossip and limited life options the duo heads off across the Gobi Desert to a salt lake, where they plan to bring home valuable salt to ease their family and personal finances.
Interwoven between chapters about their voyage, are background chapters from their youth and marriages which lead up to the expedition.
I admit that I struggled with the numerous characters in this story, the Chinese names were hard for me to pronounce and the sparse character descriptions left little room for colourful images of them in my mind.
I understand that the translators cherry-picked the content from the original works. This may have added to how I missed engaging with the story as much as I had hoped, although I understand that the original works were too long to work as a full translation.
Into The Desert is a condensed book translated from the original three volume series written in Chinese.
It is set in the 1990s is provincial China where poverty and traditional life is only beginning to be touched by the advances seen in the cities.
The story focuses on two women who are sisters-in-law. One has left an abusive relationship, and the other has recently become a widow. To escape their controlling families, village gossip and limited life options the duo heads off across the Gobi Desert to a salt lake, where they plan to bring home valuable salt to ease their family and personal finances.
Interwoven between chapters about their voyage, are background chapters from their youth and marriages which lead up to the expedition.
I admit that I struggled with the numerous characters in this story, the Chinese names were hard for me to pronounce and the sparse character descriptions left little room for colourful images of them in my mind.
I understand that the translators cherry-picked the content from the original works. This may have added to how I missed engaging with the story as much as I had hoped, although I understand that the original works were too long to work as a full translation.
December 4, 2024
Hätte nicht gedacht, dass es mir so gut gefällt :o
Der Roman wurde mir auf der Buchmesse mega schlau verkauft und ich sollte ein Bild mit dem Autor machen, obwohl ich ihn gar nicht kannte :D fand's bissi sus, aber die Geschichte klang spannend und spielt in der Gobiwüste in China mit 2 starken weiblichen Charakteren - da dachte ich why not :D
Die Beschreibungen der Wüste sind wirklich sehr berührend und zeigen sowohl die schönen als auch die grausamen Seiten der kargen Landschaft. Auch die Protagonistinnen fand ich gut charakterisiert, sie haben beide ein schweres Schicksal zu tragen, was immer weiter offenbart wird. Besonders mitgenommen hat mich die Klarheit und Abgeklärtheit im Auge des Todes, aber möchte nicht zu viel verraten, lest selbst ;)
Der Roman wurde mir auf der Buchmesse mega schlau verkauft und ich sollte ein Bild mit dem Autor machen, obwohl ich ihn gar nicht kannte :D fand's bissi sus, aber die Geschichte klang spannend und spielt in der Gobiwüste in China mit 2 starken weiblichen Charakteren - da dachte ich why not :D
Die Beschreibungen der Wüste sind wirklich sehr berührend und zeigen sowohl die schönen als auch die grausamen Seiten der kargen Landschaft. Auch die Protagonistinnen fand ich gut charakterisiert, sie haben beide ein schweres Schicksal zu tragen, was immer weiter offenbart wird. Besonders mitgenommen hat mich die Klarheit und Abgeklärtheit im Auge des Todes, aber möchte nicht zu viel verraten, lest selbst ;)
March 22, 2023
Mid 1990s, Liangzhou Village, Gansu Province – a setting where families with the means pay their weight in gold for their sons to marry, or exchange daughters for those who do not. Two women and sister-in-laws from such exchange between poor families, Ying’er and Lanlan set out into the Gobi Desert in search of the salt lakes where they hope to make a little money, but mostly to escape life in a hapless society where women are treated more as property, less as people.
Lanlan: tough-as-nails and amazingly resourceful in the wild, desperate for divorce from an abusive partner and mourning the death of her daughter. Ying’er, the pretty one, a widow harboring a secret romance, running from the pressure of re-marriage with undesirable suitors. The journey is perilous, work is hard and pay is poor, but anything to get away from their duties back home.
INTO THE DESERT is a snapshot of Xuemo’s desert trilogy told in two alternating storylines: one about their present journey and the other their familial backgrounds set in the past.
My first translation of Howard Goldblatt's, I think, and first foray into fiction from China’s west. I had no issues following the double story format, and actually thought it was well-curated (this English version is based on stories in two books from the original) and played an essential role for character development as the plot progressed.
This is a tale of poverty and tradition, friendship and sisterhood, of two women doggedly struggling for survival and freedom that will teach you to love thy camel.
An immersive, rugged reading experience with a touch of tender-heartedness, but this is no rags-to-riches underdog story. There’s no sugar-coating the desert, and Xuemo delivers an unforgiving narrative, grounded in harsh reality.
Highly recommend.
READER BEWARE: May develop deathly fear of jackals.
Lanlan: tough-as-nails and amazingly resourceful in the wild, desperate for divorce from an abusive partner and mourning the death of her daughter. Ying’er, the pretty one, a widow harboring a secret romance, running from the pressure of re-marriage with undesirable suitors. The journey is perilous, work is hard and pay is poor, but anything to get away from their duties back home.
INTO THE DESERT is a snapshot of Xuemo’s desert trilogy told in two alternating storylines: one about their present journey and the other their familial backgrounds set in the past.
My first translation of Howard Goldblatt's, I think, and first foray into fiction from China’s west. I had no issues following the double story format, and actually thought it was well-curated (this English version is based on stories in two books from the original) and played an essential role for character development as the plot progressed.
This is a tale of poverty and tradition, friendship and sisterhood, of two women doggedly struggling for survival and freedom that will teach you to love thy camel.
An immersive, rugged reading experience with a touch of tender-heartedness, but this is no rags-to-riches underdog story. There’s no sugar-coating the desert, and Xuemo delivers an unforgiving narrative, grounded in harsh reality.
Highly recommend.
READER BEWARE: May develop deathly fear of jackals.
April 29, 2023
This story tells a story of two women who get stuck in a desperate situation but refuse to yield and fiht against fate, just like each one of us has to stay strong in the face adverstiy,their struggle against fate and transendence through through faith, all of these not only show the strong will of Chinese women, but also implicate the common values of humanity, such a story can create resonance with readers all over the world, and thereby generate a power to lift them up.
August 23, 2026
Daughters of the Desert is a powerful, soul-stirring story about courage, freedom, and female resilience in China’s harsh western land.
Set against the vast, lonely desert, the book tells the journey of two young rural women who refuse to accept their predetermined fate. Trapped by poverty, old customs and unfair destiny, they choose to walk bravely across the endless desert, chasing dignity and a new life of their own.
Xuemo’s writing is plain yet deeply touching. He shows the fragility of human life under cruel reality, but also reveals the invincible inner strength hidden in ordinary people. The desert is hard, cold and merciless, yet it witnesses pure friendship, persistent hope and the awakening of the soul.
This is not only a story about the western wilderness, but a praise to every person who dares to resist fate and pursue light.
Highly recommended for readers who love sincere, healing and spiritually powerful literary works.
Set against the vast, lonely desert, the book tells the journey of two young rural women who refuse to accept their predetermined fate. Trapped by poverty, old customs and unfair destiny, they choose to walk bravely across the endless desert, chasing dignity and a new life of their own.
Xuemo’s writing is plain yet deeply touching. He shows the fragility of human life under cruel reality, but also reveals the invincible inner strength hidden in ordinary people. The desert is hard, cold and merciless, yet it witnesses pure friendship, persistent hope and the awakening of the soul.
This is not only a story about the western wilderness, but a praise to every person who dares to resist fate and pursue light.
Highly recommended for readers who love sincere, healing and spiritually powerful literary works.
October 9, 2026
The author states: Desert is also a metaphor. Life is like a vast desert, wherein every one of us dwells and seeks a way forward. This desert may manifest as real-life predicaments — unemployment, illness, or social pressures. It may also stand for the struggles and confusion deep within our hearts: the spiritual perplexity, loneliness, and even the loss and doubt of life’s meaning.
The book abounds with thought-provoking lines that embody the philosophy of life. Let us take inspiration from them, reflect and learn together.
The book abounds with thought-provoking lines that embody the philosophy of life. Let us take inspiration from them, reflect and learn together.
October 19, 2026
What touches us most is not the danger of the desperate situation, but the pure heart that never fades away. After going through hardships and barrenness, they hold no bitterness or stubborn prejudice. Even knowing how complicated people can be and how cruel fate is, they stay kind and gentle. Hardship never takes away their warmth, and trouble never narrows their mind. Tempered again and again between life and death, they cast off worldly expectations, break the chains of fate, and awaken and save themselves.
October 22, 2026
It portrays the self-liberation and breakthrough of underprivileged women in western China trapped by old traditions, poverty and marital bondage. Centered on sisterhood and the resilience of life amid hardship, the desert stands both as an actual wilderness and a metaphor for inner turmoil. It explores how human beings preserve their dignity, chase freedom and attain self-transcendence when facing desperate odds.
October 23, 2026
Set on the edge of the Gobi Desert, this powerful novel follows two sisters‑in‑law, Lanlan and Ying’er. Trapped by poverty and old rural traditions, they venture into the harsh desert to seek freedom and a better life. Xuemo paints a raw, breathtaking picture of wilderness, hardship and quiet female courage. Their dangerous journey reveals the strength of the human spirit against cruel fate. It is a moving, unforgettable story about dignity, hope and the fight to own one’s destiny.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews