'San Mao' was one of the most popular writers of the 1970s and 1980s in the
Chinese-speaking world. This study deals with some of San Mao's best-loved
stories, namely the tales set in the Sahara Desert and in Europe. It examines San
Mao's portrayals of foreign countries and foreign people, and of herself in
interaction with them. It endeavours to demonstrate the function of San Mao as
an exemplary self for readers, and to situate the San Mao persona in relation to
the world she created in her texts
