DESERT RITES

Description

Book Description – Desert Rites 

Author’s Note

Among all my literary works, Desert Rites is like a seed planted deep in the soil of China’s western frontier. It draws its life not from technique or embellishment, but from the raw, unfiltered essence of the land. There is no ornamentation here—only a faithful record of the rhythms of rural life. Yet it is through these seemingly mundane details that the novel reveals the arc of human fate. The departure of Lingguan, for instance, has long stirred debate—his destination unclear, his ending unresolved. But before he leaves, he utters a single line: “What matters is how we live.” That line became the source of everything I would later write. From it grew the Soul Trilogy, Wild Fox Ridge, The Sound of Broadbeans Late at Night—each tracing its roots back to this beginning. Where there is life, there is limitless possibility.

—Xuemo

About the Book

Desert Rites explores survival on every level—material, spiritual, cultural, and ecological. Rooted in the finest traditions of Chinese realism, it carries a deep awareness of looming hardship and a clear-eyed courage to face the truths of life. The novel makes no attempt to soften or avoid the harsh truths of rural life—whether it’s the crushing burdens placed on farmers or the stark poverty of the Northwest. Its aesthetic foundation lies in revealing reality as it is, even when it’s severe. In this, it finds its power—not only to portray, but to awaken.

At its core, Desert Rites is a chronicle of one year in the life of a farming family and their village on the edge of the Tengger Desert: training hawks, fox hunting, digging wells, gathering brushwood, chatting over roasted sweet potatoes between hunts, delivering grain to the state, paying land taxes, complying with family planning policies, arguing, having secret affairs, worshipping local gods, and holding funerals. The author once said, it’s nothing more than the pain of survival, the sweetness of love, the suffering of illness, and the helplessness of death. And yet, what makes the novel unforgettable is not the weight of these experiences, but its unflinching look into the soul—into the quiet wars of conscience, into the complexity of rural character.

Key Features

1. Crowned with over ten major literary awards, including the Feng Mu Literature Prize and the Shanghai Novella Excellence Award—Desert Ritesstands as a landmark of western Chinese literature.
2. Adapted into the national television series Desert Bondby the Jiangsu and Gansu provincial media bureaus, sparking public attention to the realities of western life.
3. Written over twelve years and repeatedly revised—Xuemo poured his soul into this desert requiem—a work completed with the breath of his life.
4. Studied at prestigious universities such as Peking University and Fudan University—now a core text in contemporary Chinese literature courses.

Critical Acclaim

“Contemporary literature is in dire need of spiritual sustenance. Desert Rites is rich in exactly that.” —Lei Da, acclaimed writer and literary critic

“Xuemo’s Desert Rites is a deeply layered novel—worthy of reflection from multiple angles. Its themes are profound, its storytelling direct, its characters and events deeply representative. It holds both educational and philosophical value.” —Yang Wenlin, poet and former editor-in-chief of Flying Sky magazine

“In an era where culture grows ever softer, stripped of grit and inner conviction, this novel pulses with desert vitality—it may well be the cure for our inner fatigue.” —Scholar Liao Xiaodong

Who Is This Book For?

Readers drawn to rural China and social realism:
If you’re interested in works that illuminate rural life, social change, and the fate of ordinary people, Desert Rites offers an unvarnished, vibrant portrait of the Chinese Northwest. Set against a backdrop of poverty and environmental hardship, it reveals the endurance of farmers and their moral grit.

Readers seeking psychological and philosophical depth:
With characters rich in contradiction and full of inner tension, Xuemo’s writing delves deep into the soul. The novel confronts the full range of human experience—goodness and cruelty, desire and repression, numbness and awakening, despair and hope. It explores the tensions between fathers and sons, husbands and wives, brothers and neighbors—while delving into life, death, and the search for meaning. These truths, though rooted in one village, carry a deep universality.

Readers interested in western Chinese culture:
Bursting with regional flavor, Desert Rites is a window into the customs, dialects, rituals, and folk beliefs of the Liangzhou region in Gansu province. From desert hunts to ancestral rites, from temple offerings to weddings and funerals—this is a cultural tapestry few novels capture.

Readers in search of inner strength and resilience:
Though steeped in hardship, this is ultimately a story of endurance. In its quiet, rugged characters—like Old Shun and his family—we glimpse something primal: a silent, almost tragic strength. In an age of comfort, it asks whether we still carry that same will to survive.

Readers who appreciate bold, powerful literary voices:
Xuemo’s prose is raw, muscular, and unafraid. His storytelling is filled with images that strike hard and stay long. With its epic scale and steady rhythm, Desert Rites will appeal to readers who value immersive, weighty fiction that doesn’t flinch from truth.

This is not an easy read. But for those willing to face its honesty and feel its weight, Desert Rites is a journey of deep value—a descent into the spiritual heart of China’s west, and a mirror held up to the human condition.

Keywords

Struggle between life and death, the depths of human nature, the cultural spirit of Liangzhou, survival epic, spiritual totem, unvarnished truth, soul-searching, rural China, tragic grandeur, quiet resilience, whirlpools of fate, China’s western frontier, spirit of the peasantry, desert landscapes, northwestern villages, western terrains, folk customs, traditional rituals, dialect realism

《大漠祭》英文版详情页

 前言：

在我的创作生涯中，《大漠祭》如同一粒种子，深深扎根在西部土地上，是西部文化原生态的展现。这里没有雕琢，没有修饰，没有技法，没有渲染，只有对西部农民琐碎生活的记录。就是从这些日常的记录中，让我们看到了个体命运的一种走向。其中，灵官的出走一直是学界争论不休的话题。他的何去何从，一直没有明确的结论。但是，他出走前的那句话“重要的，是如何活着”，为我以后的创作做了铺垫，是一切可能的源头，后面的“灵魂三部曲”，以及《野狐岭》《深夜的蚕豆声》等，都是从这里开始出发的，这是一部大书，永远也写不完，生命不息，就会有无穷的可能性。——雪漠

• 详情描述

（一）内容简介

《大漠祭》包含着物质的生存、精神的生存、自然的生存、文化的生存，承继我国现实主义优良传统，饱蕴着强烈的忧患意识和正视现实人生的勇气。它不回避什么，包括不回避农民负担过重和大西北贫困的现状。它的审美根基是写出生存的真实，甚至严峻的真实，这样才能起到激人奋进的作用。它尤重心灵的真实。从内容看，写的是腾格里沙漠边缘上一家农民和一个村庄一年间的生活:驯鹰、猎狐、打井、捋黄毛柴、吃山芋喧谎儿、缴公粮、收地税、计划生育以及吵架、偷情、祭神、发丧等等情事。照作者说的，不过是生之艰辛、爱之甜蜜、病之痛苦、死之无奈而已。然而，对人的灵魂冲突的理解和描写，对农民品性复杂性的揭示，是它最撼动人心的部分。

（二）核心卖点

1.冯牧文学奖第一名、上海长中篇小说优秀作品大奖等十多项文学大奖加冕的西部文学巅峰之作。
2.被江苏、甘肃省委宣传部联合改编为电视剧《大漠缘》，引发全国关注西部生存现状。
3.作者雪漠十二年磨一剑，屡废屡写，用生命完成的“大漠安魂曲”。
4.北京大学、复旦大学等高校列为研究专题，当代文学课程必读作品。

 （三）专家学者评论

1.当代文学太需要精神钙片了，《大漠祭》正是一部充满钙质的作品。——中国当代作家、评论家雷达先生

2.作家雪漠的长篇小说《大漠祭》，是一部文学含量深厚的值得多角度多层面品评的作品。它题旨深刻，言直事赅，情节、人物颇具典型性，是一部具有教育和认识价值的作品。——《飞天》原主编、诗人杨文林先生

3.在日益娘炮的文化氛围中，感受荒漠中涌动的生命力，可治愈精神内耗。——学者廖小东先生

• 适合读者

1. 关注中国乡土文学与社会现实的读者：

如果你对描绘中国农村生活、农民命运、社会变迁的作品感兴趣，这本书提供了极其真实、粗粝、充满生命力的西部农村画卷。

它展现了在严酷自然环境（大漠、干旱、贫穷）和社会变革背景下，普通农民坚韧的生存意志、朴素的道德观念以及面对苦难的挣扎与无奈。

2. 对人性深度探索感兴趣的读者：

雪漠的笔触深入人物的灵魂深处。《大漠祭》中的人物形象丰满立体，充满矛盾与张力。它探讨了在极端生存条件下人性的善与恶、欲望与压抑、麻木与觉醒、绝望与希望。

书中对父子、夫妻、兄弟、邻里等复杂关系的刻画，以及对生命意义、死亡、信仰的思考，都具有深刻的普世性。

3. 希望了解中国西部（特别是甘肃凉州）文化的读者：

小说充满了浓郁的地域色彩和独特的文化气息。它对凉州地区的风土人情、民俗习惯（如打猎、祭祀、婚丧嫁娶）、方言俚语、民间信仰等都有生动的描绘，是了解西部乡土文化的一个窗口。

4. 寻求精神力量与生命启示的读者：

尽管书中充满了苦难和沉重的生存压力，但更打动人心的是人物身上那种在绝境中依然顽强求生的“生之韧性”。老顺一家以及书中其他人物面对天灾人祸时表现出的那种近乎原始的、沉默的、甚至有些悲壮的坚韧，能给读者带来强烈的精神震撼和关于生命韧性的思考。

它促使读者反思：在物质相对丰富的今天，我们是否还保有那种面对困境的原始生命力和精神力量？

5. 文学爱好者，欣赏厚重、深沉、有力量感的写作风格的读者：

雪漠的语言风格粗犷、质朴、充满力量感，有时甚至带着一种“泥沙俱下”的野性美。他擅长用极具画面感和冲击力的细节描写来展现人物和场景。

小说的结构宏大，叙事节奏沉稳有力，具有史诗般的厚重感，适合喜欢深度阅读、沉浸式体验的文学爱好者。

它是一部能带给人心灵震撼和深刻思考的作品，阅读它更像是一次深入中国西部底层社会和精神腹地的沉重而富有价值的旅程。如果你准备好面对这种真实与沉重，并从中汲取力量，那么《大漠祭》会是一本非常值得阅读的书。

（六）关键词

 生死抗争，人性深渊，凉州风情，生存史诗，精神图腾，粗粝真实，灵魂拷问， 乡土中国，苍凉悲壮，沉默力量，命运漩涡，中国西部，农民精神，大漠风光，西北农村，西部景观，民情风习，传统习俗，农村方言