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 …
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Citation: Mather, Jeffrey. "Lao She". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 14 March 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12712, accessed 25 November 2024.]
