How a Jesuit priest and Chinese literary icon Sanmao found love beyond romance

This is a love story, specifically a literary love story. Yet, for Jesuit priest Father Barry Martinson, it transcends romance. He speaks of sacrificial love, “which is something I really believe in”, which shaped his life alongside the closest friendship he has ever known.

This morning, beauty reveals itself in the small township of Wufeng, situated 1,000 metres above sea level in the mountains of Taiwan. Mist gently rises from the valley, while the mountains resemble vibrant, child-like drawings—green and sharply pointed, with winding roads and clouds resting on their peak.

For 48 years, Father Barry has devoted himself to his congregation of the Atayal and Saisiyat Indigenous tribes here, leading what he describes as a hermit-like life – a solitude that suits him well.

Amid this isolation, one woman came to know him intimately. Born Chen Maoping in Chongqing in 1943, she was also known as Echo Chan, the first name she used in Latin script.

For millions of devoted readers, she is immortalised by her pen name: Sanmao. As one of the best-known Chinese language authors, she has inspired a generation of young women during China’s opening to the world.

Sanmao once wrote to Martinson about their bond: “The love between a man and a woman is too narrow. Such a deep love cannot be understood by the world. They … only care about gender differences, not knowing the soul sometimes has no gender at all.”