Lao She

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  • The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.2.1.02: Chinese Writing and Culture: Modern and Contemporary, 1900-present.

Shu Qingchun (better known by his pen name Lao She) is one of China’s most prominent twentieth-century writers who throughout his career wrote eleven novels, six collections of short stories, and more than twenty plays. He is perhaps best known for his novel

Luotuo xiangzi

[

Rickshaw Boy

or

Camel Xiangzi

] and the three-act play

Cha guan

[Teahouse].

By all accounts, Lao She grew up in difficult circumstances. Although there is some debate about the exact place and date of his birth, most sources indicate that Lao She was born in February 1899 in Beijing. His father, who was a garrison soldier in the Forbidden City, and who would have secured a stable pension as a bannerman for the ruling Manchus, was killed in an explosion on August 15th 1900 when foreign troops entered Beijing and

2738 words

Citation: Mather, Jeffrey. "Lao She". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 March 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12712, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12712 Lao She 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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