Sanmao

Taiwanese Novelist

Sanmao was born in Chongqing, China on March 26th, 1943 and is the Taiwanese Novelist. At the age of 47, Sanmao biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

Date of Birth
March 26, 1943
Nationality
Spain
Place of Birth
Chongqing, China
Death Date
Jan 4, 1991 (age 47)
Zodiac Sign
Aries
Profession
Lyricist, Novelist, Screenwriter, Translator, Writer
Sanmao Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 47 years old, Sanmao physical status not available right now. We will update Sanmao 's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Height
Not Available
Weight
Not Available
Hair Color
Not Available
Eye Color
Not Available
Build
Not Available
Measurements
Not Available
Sanmao Religion, Education, and Hobbies
Religion
Not Available
Hobbies
Not Available
Education
Chinese Culture University, Complutense University of Madrid
Sanmao Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
Spouse(s)
José María Quero y Ruíz, ​ ​(m. 1973; died 1979)​
Children
Not Available
Dating / Affair
Not Available
Parents
Not Available
Siblings
Chen Siqing (father), Miao Jinlan (mother), Chen Tianxin (sister)
Sanmao Career

Sanmao studied philosophy at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, with the goal of "[finding] the solution to problems in life." There, she dated a fellow student; however, becoming "disillusioned with romance," she moved to Madrid, Spain at age 20 and began studying at the Complutense University of Madrid. In Madrid, she met Spanish marine engineer José María Quero y Ruíz, whom she would later marry.

Sanmao later moved to Germany, where she intensively studied German, sometimes up to 16 hours per day. Within nine months, she earned a qualification to teach German and began studying ceramics.

At age 26, Sanmao returned to Taiwan. She was engaged to a teacher from Germany, but he died of a heart attack before they could marry. Sanmao returned to Madrid and began teaching English at a primary school, rekindled her relationship with Ruíz, and married him in 1973, in the then-Spanish-controlled Western Sahara.

In 1976 she published the autobiographical The Stories of the Sahara, based on her experiences living in the Sahara with Jose. Part travelogue and part memoir, it established Sanmao as an autobiographical writer with a unique voice and perspective. Following the book's immense success in Taiwan, British Hong Kong, and China, her early writings were collected under the title Gone With the Rainy Season. She continued to write, and her experiences in the Sahara and the Canary Islands were published in several more books.

On 30 September 1979, Jose drowned in a diving accident. In 1980 she returned to Taiwan, and in November 1981, she traveled to Central and South America on commission from Taiwanese publishers. These experiences were recorded in subsequent works. From 1981 to 1984, she taught and lectured at her alma mater, Chinese Culture University, in Taiwan. After this point, she decided to dedicate herself fully to writing.

Sanmao's books deal mainly with her own experiences studying and living abroad. They were extremely well received not only in Taiwan, but also in Hong Kong and China, and they remain popular. From 1976 to her death in 1991, Sanmao published more than 20 books. She also translated the comic Mafalda from Spanish to Chinese.

Source