A Muslim's Funeral [Photo provided to China Daily]

The novel A Muslim's Funeral has sold more than 4 million copies since it was published three decades ago, according to its publisher, making it one of the lasting modern classics in China.

The book's author, Huo Da, is a 72-year-old female writer from the country's Hui ethnic group.

Beijing October Literature and Arts Publishing House published the novel in September 1988, and has since run dozens of reprints.

It tells the story of a Chinese Muslim family in the jade carving business and its three generations that live through the Japanese invasion of China until after the founding of New China in 1949. A part of the novel was translated into English in 1992 with the title Jade King: History of a Chinese Muslim Family.

A full translation is expected in coming years with Bruce Humes, who specializes in translating ethnic-themed Chinese fiction into English, being the translator, according to the book's publisher.

A complete collection of Huo's other works will be published later in the year.