Sanmao 三毛, born Chen Ping 陳平 in 1943, was a renowned Chinese writer and adventurer celebrated for her vibrant storytelling and unique voice in modern Chinese literature. Known for her deeply personal essays and travelogues, she captivated readers with her tales of love, wanderlust, and resilience. Her works, often infused with humor, romanticism, and philosophical reflection, resonate with themes of freedom, cross-cultural exploration, and emotional depth, making her a beloved figure across the Chinese-speaking world.
She is my favourite writer, and her works inspire me to explore the world as much as possible while explore my inner lives with curiosity and openness. So, I want to make something to memorize her, her work, her image, her spirit. In order to symbolize the courage she gave me to live authentically and passionately, I made a jewelry stand music box, a frame, a pin, and a bag...
An Initial Digital Merch
This cartoon toy is the very first merch I made for San Mao. By the end of 2022, I was stuck at home because of the pandemic. At that time, I started to read Stories of the Sahara 《撒哈拉的故事》again, in which she recorded her life in the Sahara Desert with her Spanish husband, José. I was deeply struck by the freedom of her life, which was so different from mine at that time. My favorite part is her wedding in the desert: no elaborate dress, no grand ceremony, not even a bouquet of flowers, and they decide to get married right away in the depths of the desert. The wedding gift was unexpected, as José drove around the desert early on the wedding day and brought her back a complete camel skull. And, she just carried the slightly hideous fossil into the church as her own bouquet, which is the most romantic thing I can ever imagined...
So, inspiration came, I made this toy.
The Design Draft
Then, based on the toy I made by 3D modeling, this year, I decided to make more.
With all the laser cutting skills I gained at school, I drew all these two-dimensional drafts, with her cartoon image and all her interesting personal belongings she mentioned in her books. I want to make something special, but also, her.
This is a representational heart of hers:
passionate, full of creativity, but also enveloped in sorrow...
The Merch
