Chinese notable writer Lao She commemorated in Beijing

The Lao She International Drama Festival kicked off at the Beijing Tianqiao Art Performing Center on June 27, which aims to honor the outstanding contributions made by the Chinese writer Lao She towards Chinese literature.

[Photo: Baidu.com]  

Lao She was one of the most significant and notable writers of Chinese literature in the 20^th century; he was born in 1899 and passed away in 1966. He was named as the "People's Artist" and "Great Master of Language". His artworks are well-known for their vivid use of the Beijing dialect and plots that appealed the ill social phenomenon of Beijing during his time. Born and raised in a typical Beijing courtyard house, Lao She had a first-hand experience of the distinctive lifestyle of the city's narrow alleyways, also known as hutong. He adapted real stories from his own life experiences into novels and dramas. After reading Lao She's literature, most of the readers were deeply touched by the various personalities of the characters, their sadness, their struggles, and their destinies.

Lao She's two novels that translated into English [Photo: Google.com] 

Lao She's first novel was named Rickshaw Boy or Camel Xiang Zi, which tells a dramatic story about a rickshaw driver named Xiang Zi. Xiang Zi was an orphan, and when he first came to Beijing in the 1930s, the optimistic 20-year-old believed his difficult circumstances would not affect his success as long as he remained diligent. He decided to be a rickshaw driver because he understood he was not well-educated and his physical strength would give him a competitive stance in this industry. His life ambition was to own a rickshaw so that he no longer need to rent one from others, which would facilitate him to become self-sustainable. 

[Photo: Baidu.com]

However, life was never easy; whenever he was about to save enough money, his savings would be robbed by bullies, soldiers, or fate would find some other cruel way to set him back. Xiang Zi was destroyed and lost faith in his life after a series of devastating vicissitudes left him reeling. He witnessed a decent elder rickshaw driver die of hunger, and the women he loved committed suicide after she was sold by her alcoholic dad to become a prostitute. These crippling events hurled Xiang Zi into a downward spiral path in his life. Lao She wrote in the novel: "Bright beginnings filled with hope often have bitter endings, and happy boy's are no exception to the rule."

[Photo: Google.com]   

Lao She often portrayed important social problems in his stories about a broad spectrum of people at the bottom of the social hierarchy in Beijing. The characters ranged from kind-hearted, determined, righteous people to individuals with harsh, greedy and sinister souls. They were all ordinary people that could be easily found in real life. After reading Lao She's work, readers often became lost in their own thoughts and reflected on the conditions of the ordinary working class individuals from early 20th century Beijing. His work inspired people to dwell on the unchangeable fate of the poor caused by the socioeconomic inequality.