AN exhibition featuring the collection of late writer Chen Ping, better known by her pen name Sanmao, opened in Taipei Tuesday in commemoration of one of the most influential female writers in the Mandarin-speaking world.

    The main organizer of the exhibition, Crown Culture Corp., said at a press conference Tuesday that, in addition to displaying a new compilation of Sanmao’s work consisting of nine books, the exhibition included pictures, paintings, personal collections and belongings of the writer, who was known for her travelogues and novels published in the late 1970s and 1980s.

    Lectures in conjunction with the exhibition would be held Jan. 8, 15 and 22 at the Taipei Public Library, the organizer said.

    Born in 1943 in Chongqing, China, Sanmao moved to Taiwan with her family when she was 5. She captivated the hearts of thousands of readers in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland with her first book, — also her most famous — entitled “The Stories of the Sahara” in 1976. She died in hospital in Taipei at the age of 48 after hanging herself with a pair of silk stockings.

    Sanmao’s younger brother, Chen Hsieh, told reporters after the press conference that Sanmao loved to tell stories to the family when she returned from overseas trips. She never bought expensive gifts, but would often bring back a pebble or a used item for her siblings as a token of the trip.

    Sanmao’s favorite picture, which shows herself holding a newborn lamb in Nepal, was included in the exhibition, Chen said. He hoped the new edition of Sanmao’s works would give younger readers a chance to learn more about the writer.

    The exhibition will run at the Crown Culture Center in Taipei until Jan. 30 before moving to the National Museum of Taiwan Literature, where it will run from March to May. (SD-Agencies)