Lao She's Literary Theory Collection

Author: Zhang Zhuxing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-05-01
Features: Lao She, born Shu Qingchun, styled Sheyu. A native of Beijing, Manchu (belonging to the Zhenghong Banner). Orphaned in childhood and living in poverty, he was able to attend private school and primary school with the help of a Buddhist monk named "Zongyue Master." After graduating from primary school, he entered secondary school but had to switch to a free normal school due to family financial difficulties after six months. In June 1918, Lao She graduated from Beijing Normal School; on July 18, the Imperial Education Bureau appointed him as the principal of the 17th Higher Primary School and National School in Beijing. On September 30, 1920, he was reassigned as an advisor in the northern suburbs of Beijing. In the summer of 1922, Lao She was baptized at the London Christian Church in Beijing's Guanwas Market, becoming a Christian. In September 1922, he was hired to teach Chinese at Nankai School in Tianjin, also serving as a counselor for the seventh group (class) of the lower secondary level. In February 1923, after resigning his teaching position and returning to Beijing, he worked as an office clerk under Gu Mengyu's Beijing Education Association and concurrently taught Chinese, music, and moral education at the Imperial Normal School. In 1924, he went to the United Kingdom to serve as a Chinese language lecturer at the School of Oriental Studies at the University of London. He read a large number of English works and engaged in fiction writing, joining the Literary Research Association in 1926. Upon returning to China in 1930, he taught at Tsinghua University in Jinan and Shandong University in Qingdao. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japan, he moved south to Hankou and Chongqing. In 1938, the All-China Literary and Art Association for Fighting Against Japan was established, and he was elected as a council member and director of the General Affairs Department, overseeing the daily operations of the association. In terms of creative work, he focused on the theme of resisting Japan and saving the nation, writing various forms of literary works. In 1946, he was invited to the United States to teach for a year and, after completing his term, stayed in the U.S. to continue writing. Shortly after the founding of the People's Republic of China, he was summoned back and served as Vice President of the Chinese Writers' Federation, Vice President of the Chinese Writers' Association, and Vice President of the Chinese Folk Literature Research Association. He was awarded the title of "People's Artist" for his outstanding play "Rickshaw Boy." In the early days of the Cultural Revolution, he died under persecution. Lao She wrote approximately 8 million words in his lifetime. His major works include: "The Philosophy of Lao Zhang," "Zhao Ziyu," "Two Horses," "Cat City Chronicle," "Divorce," "Biography of Niu Tianci," "Professor Wen," "Rickshaw Boy," "Cremation," and "Four Generations Under One Roof," as well as plays such as "Rickshaw Boy" and "Teahouse." Lao She is renowned for his novels and plays. His works are largely drawn from urban life, and the natural scenery, social customs, and colloquial language he depicts are deeply imbued with a distinctive "Beijing flavor." He opened up important thematic fields for modern Chinese literature.