Inspired by a true story, this novel tells of a Han Chinese man who falls deeply in love with a young Tibetan woman, Ata – only to discover, far too late, that their love will destroy them both.

Their story unfolded in 2008, a year of profound upheaval in Lhasa – a collision of history and heart that made their fate inevitable. It is a haunting exploration of finding love in the wrong place, at the most dangerous time, and the devastating price that must be paid.

About the author

Xiao Hei (pen name of Zhang Pu) is a Chinese-born British writer and translator based in London. Originally from Chengdu, Sichuan, he worked as a journalist and newspaper editor in China before relocating to the UK in the early 1990s.

Xiao Hei is best known as the Chinese translator of the internationally acclaimed Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. Over the years, he has published more than a million words across fiction, reportage, essays, and political commentary.

A Tibetan Girl Called Ata is one of three tragic romances by Xiao Hei, alongside Quietly, I Am Leaving and From Afar. It is the first of his works to be made widely available in English.