Selected Stories by Xuemo is a collection of stories set on the Silk Road, exploring love, faith, life, and death. The first three stories depict the lives and relationships of outsiders in rural villages, and offer a contemporary perspective on the impact of rumor, pain, and suffering. The final novella is a survival story of two young women journeying through the desert, accompanied by camels and dholes.

These tales are a bridge to the novels by the author Xuemo. Xuemo's writing is deeply influenced by his native roots in Gansu province and captures the essence of traditional Chinese culture. Xuemo is known as a spiritual writer whose work presents an alternative lifestyle for people today. His distinctive style combines hallucinatory realism with the depiction of the harsh reality of rural life, and the inner worlds of Chinese people. Xuemo's work enjoys extensive media coverage and critical acclaim in China and is considered a quintessential example of literature from the western provinces.

Selected Stories by Xue Mo has been translated into more than 15 languages. This English version is translated by Sinologist Nicky Harman. The Guardian newspaper published one story - "Old Man Xinjiang" - in their five top short stories from contemporary China collection.