Desert Rites: Where the Body Suffers, the Spirit Awakens—desert Rites Is a Journey Into the Soul of Western China.

Co-translated by Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin, acclaimed translators of Nobel Prize-winning authors.#1 Amazon Best Seller in Asian Literature.Shortlisted for the Mao Dun Literature Award and Celebrated across China and adapted into the acclaimed TV series Desert Ties, this novel stands as a cornerstone of contemporary Chinese literature.In the desolate landscapes of western China, ordinary lives are tested by hardship, traditionand fate, Desert Rites is a deeply moving tale of spiritual struggle and redemption, where pain and beauty walk side by side. With poetic language, minimalist plot structure, and vivid cultural details, Xuemo crafts a haunting exploration of western China’s cultural soul.If you are drawn to literature that merges realism with spiritual depth—like the works of Mo Yan, Yu Hua or Khaled Hosseini—Desert Rites will leave a lasting imprint.