Tea House (New Curriculum Standard Reading Series)

Author: Lao She
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: To comprehensively improve the Chinese literacy of primary and secondary school students, enhance the modern awareness of Chinese teaching courses, and vigorously promote new learning methods, the Ministry of Education issued the "Full-time Compulsory Education Chinese Curriculum Standards" and the "General High School Chinese Curriculum Standards" as core content of the basic education curriculum reform in 2001 and 2003, respectively. The "Chinese Curriculum Standards" serve as the basis for teaching, assessment, and exam question setting, as well as the foundation for national curriculum management and evaluation. They reflect the fundamental requirements of the state for students at different stages in terms of knowledge, skills, processes, and methods. Compared to the original "Chinese Teaching Syllabus" for primary and secondary schools, the "Chinese Curriculum Standards" have made significant revisions to the specific works of extracurricular reading in the original syllabus and have stipulated the total amount of reading required for students at different stages, urging primary and secondary school students to read widely. For this reason, we have compiled and published this series of "New Curriculum Standards Chinese Must-Read Books," with all the titles in the series designated by the new standards. To assist students in reading, we have included an introductory article before each classic work, providing an in-depth yet accessible introduction to the relevant information about the book.
Tea House is a classic in the history of Chinese theater. The entire story unfolds in a tea house. The tea house is bustling with people, gathering all kinds of characters from all walks of life. A large tea house is like a small society. Lao She captures the characteristics of this setting, condensing a half-century time span and dozens of main and secondary characters into the tea house, showcasing the life scenes of three eras: the aftermath of the 1898 Hundred Days' Reform in the late Qing Dynasty, the period of Beiyang Warlord domination in the early Republic of China, and the eve of the collapse of the Kuomintang regime. It summarizes the sharp conflicts and contradictions among various strata and forces in Chinese society, revealing the historical fate of a semi-feudal and semi-colonial China.
The success of Tea House lies in its mastery of language. The play relies entirely on dialogue to shape characters—when the dialogue is well-executed, the characters come to life; and when the characters are alive, the entire play succeeds. Lao She, hailed as the "master of linguistic art," truly brings his language skills to their peak. In Tea House, the dialogue of every character is vivid, expressive, and full of individuality, yet concise and profound in meaning.
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