The phenomenal success of He Ma’s The Tibet Code (《葬地密码》, 何马著)—reportedly over 3m volumes sold—has spawned a host of thrillers and mysteries driven by a similar fascination with Tibetan history, religion and relics. The popular 3-volume Tibetan Mastiff (藏獒) by Yang Zhijun (杨治军), now an animated film co-produced by a Sino-Japanese partnership, is just one example.

But Tibet is certainly not the only area of the People’s Republic rich in non-Han culture and history with strong potential for such fiction. Curse of Kanas Lake (喀纳斯湖咒), published in January this year, highlights legends of the Tuvan people surrounding this beautiful lake (now a preserve) which is located in Altay Prefecture where Xinjiang borders on Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia.