A Chronology of Lao She (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Zhang Guixing / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features:
III. Years in Qi Lu (March 1930 to November 17, 1937)
In March 1930, at the age of 31, he arrived in Shanghai and stayed briefly at Zheng Zhenduo’s home, completing the last 20,000 words of his fourth long novel, The Birthday of Xiao Po. According to Zheng Zhenduo’s wife, Gao Junzhen, in her article An Unforgettable Person: “It was early in 1930. Mr. Lao She had just returned from Singapore and stayed in Shanghai for about half a month. He lodged at my home. He was a diligent person, always. The last 20,000 words of his fairy-tale novel The Birthday of Xiao Po were completed at my home… Later, it was published in the Novel Monthly, which he edited.” (New Literature Materials, Issue 1, 1978) During this period, he met Zhao Jingshen at Zheng Zhenduo’s home. According to Zhao Jingshen: “I had already read Lao She’s long novels The Philosophy of Old Zhang and Two Horses in the Novel Monthly. But I first met Lao She at Zheng Zhenduo’s home. He had just returned from England. Zheng Zhenduo invited him for dinner. Under the emerald-green lights of Zheng’s study, I saw a man in a suit, full of vitality, lively in appearance, and slightly tanned. During the meal, he told a joke. He said, ‘There was a man who wanted to get a haircut. Passing by a tavern, he saw the word “BAR” on one side of the door and the same on the other. When read together, it sounded like “Barbar,” so he ran in to get a haircut.’” Lao She heard my story and, wanting to marry Li Xitong on April 19, 1911, he volunteered to officiate at my wedding. He said his voice was excellent and that it would be a waste not to use it. Indeed, his performance of the Qing Dynasty song The Yellow Crane Tower, singing three parts at once, allowed listeners to distinguish between Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Zhang Fei from his voice. No wonder he was so skilled at using ‘dialogue’ to reveal ‘characters.’ His passionate and resonant voice could truly be described as thunderous.” (What I Knew of Lao She)
April 4th, Letter to Zhao Jingshen (One of Many). Signed Sheyu. Published in Modern Writers’ Letters, edited by Kong Lingjing (Life Publishing House, May 1936 first edition). First included in Lao She’s Letters, now in Lao She’s Complete Works, Volume 15. The letter said: “At home, they asked me to return to Beijing early. I must leave for the north by ship soon. I will be unable to attend your wedding and feel deeply guilty! I’m sending you a small book (Goethe’s Life, an English translation of Ludwig’s famous work—editor’s note) as a token of congratulations. Please forgive me and accept my sincerity!” “The book is being sent to a friend, Jia Jun, who is traveling north with me on the same ship. He studied literature in France.”
According to Zhao Jingshen: “He once wrote me a letter with the envelope addressed as follows: First, my name, then my address. It could have ended there, but he added Shanghai, China, Asia, and even ‘the planet Earth.’ The humorous Lao She was truly like the Wang De he himself created!” (What I Knew of Lao She)
May 25th, newly returned from Tianjin to Beijing and staying at No. 6 Jizhiwei Yantong Hutong in Xicheng, in the home of Bai Dizhou. As he was taking a nap, Chen Yifei, a reporter from Student’s Picture Magazine, came to visit but did not see him. Chen Yifei left a half-joking, half-serious letter titled “Proclaiming a King” and departed. (Chen Yifei: Lao She’s Early Activities in Literary Circles, published in Mangzhong, September 1981 issue)
May 26th, Letter to Chen Yifei (i.e., Resigning as King). Signed Shuxiye. Published in Chen Yifei’s Lao She’s Early Activities in Literary Circles. First included in Lao She’s Collected Works, Volume 14 (People’s Literature Publishing House, February 1989, Beijing first edition), now in Lao She’s Complete Works, Volume 15. The letter said: “You came just as I was returning from Tianjin and napping hard. I’m so sorry! Actually, Mr. Bai loves me too much. If he had called me in, could I have continued my ‘sleeping philosophy’?” “You proclaiming me as the ‘Laughing King’ is truly an honor I cannot accept! According to Chinese logic, a king must have a concubine, a palace, and an eight-person sedan chair, but I have none. Thus, I am clearly ‘not a king.’” “I’ll be home on Wednesday (the 28th) morning. If you wish to come, please do so; if not, I will visit you another day to pay my respects.”
May 28th, morning, received Chen Yifei’s visit. According to Chen Yifei: “The next day, I visited him at the time he specified. As soon as I met him, he broke the usual greetings between strangers and said, ‘The bills have flown away again.’ P65-66