Lao She (老舍, Pinyin: Lǎo Shě), (February 3, 1899 – October 14, 1966) was a noted Chinese writer. A novelist and dramatist, he was one of the most significant figures of 20th century Chinese literature, and is perhaps best known for his novel Camel Xiangzi or Rickshaw Boy (駱駝祥子) and the play Teahouse (茶館). He was of Manchurian ethnicity. Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Hanyu Pinyin: , lit. ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... October 14 is the 287th day of the year (288th in Leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... A dramatist is an author of dramatic compositions, usually plays. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... // Classical texts Main article: Chinese classic texts China has a wealth of classical literature, both poetry and prose, dating from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770-256 B.C.) and including the Classics attributed to Confucius. ... The Manchu (Manchu: Manju; Simplified Chinese: 满族; Traditional Chinese: 滿族; Hanyu pinyin: ) are a Tungusic people who originated in Northeastern Asia, collectively known in English as Manchuria. ...

He was born Shū Qìngchūn (舒慶春) in Beijing, to a poor family belonging to the Red Banner clan group. In 1913, he was admitted to the Beijing Normal School #3 High School (currently Beijing #3 High School), but had to leave after several months because of financial difficulties. In the same year, he was accepted into the Beijing Institute for Education, where he graduated in 1918. Beijing (Chinese: 北京; ; IPA: ), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... The Eight Banners (In Manchu: jakÅ«n gÅ«sa, In Chinese: æ—— baqí) were administrative divisions into which all Manchu families were placed. ...

Between 1918 and 1924 he was involved as administrator and faculty member at a number of primary and secondary schools in Beijing and Tianjin. He was highly influenced by the May Fourth Movement (1919). He stated, "[The] May Fourth [Movement] gave me a new spirit and a new literary language. I am grateful to [The] May Fourth [Movement], as it allowed me to become a writer." Tianjin (Chinese: 天津; Pinyin: Tiānjīn; Postal System Pinyin: Tientsin) is one of the four municipalities of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Students in Beijing rallied during the May Fourth Movement. ...

He went on to serve as lecturer at the University of London from 1924 to 1929 in the Chinese language department of the Oriental institute. During his time in London, he absorbed a great deal of English literature and began his own writing. His later novel 二马 (Ma and Son) drew on these experiences. Senate House, designed by Charles Holden, home to the universitys central administrative offices and its library The University of London is a federation of colleges and institutes which together constitute one of the worlds largest universities. ... This article is about the British city. ... The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was Polish, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Edgar Allan Poe was American, Salman Rushdie is Indian. ...

In the summer of 1929, he left Britain for Singapore, teaching at the Chinese High School (华侨中学). Between his return to China in the spring of 1930 until 1937, he taught at several universities, including Cheeloo University (齊魯大學) and Shandong University (Qingdao). Name The Chinese High School Abbreviation TCHS School Code 7103 Chinese Name 华侨中学 Address 661 Bukit Timah Road Singapore 269735 Country Singapore Town Bukit Timah Founded 1919 Community Urban Type Independent Secondary Religion Secular Students Boys Levels Secondary 1–4 Colours Red, Yellow Motto 自强不息 Philosophy Win-Win Newspaper Hwa Chong Highlights... Shandong University is one of the oldest and prestigious universities in China. ... Qingdao (Simplified Chinese: 青岛; Traditional Chinese: 青島; Pinyin: QÄ«ngdÇŽo; Wade-Giles: Ching-tao), well-known to the West by its Postal System Pinyin transliteration Tsingtao, is a sub-provincial city in eastern Shandong province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

His first important novel, Luotuo Xiangzi (駱駝祥子, "Camel Xiangzi," widely known in the West as "Rickshaw Boy" or "Rickshaw"), was published in 1936. It describes the tragic life of a rickshaw puller in Beijing of the 1920s and is considered to be a classic of modern Chinese literature. The English version Rickshaw Boy became a US bestseller in 1945; it was an unauthorized translation that added a bowdlerized happy ending to the story. In 1982, the original version was made into a film of the same title. Japanese rickshaws c. ... Beijing (Chinese: 北京; ; IPA: ), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal Republic George... Thomas Bowdler (July 11, 1754 – February 24, 1825), an English physician, is best known as the source of the eponym bowdlerize (or bowdlerise), the process of censorship by arbitrary deletion of objectionable material from a work of literature to purify it. ... For the slang meaning of happy ending, see handjob. ...

During World War II, Lao She also made noted contributions as a leader of anti-Japanese writers in China. He became the vice chairman of the Union of Writers after 1949. After the establishment of the PRC, his writing fell largely in line with state ideology, whereas before it had been broadly critical and satirical. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... PRC redirects here. ...

Like thousands of other intellectuals in China, he experienced mistreatment in the Cultural Revolution of the mid-1960s. Greatly humiliated both mentally and physically, he committed suicide by drowning himself in a Beijing lake in 1966. Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution had attacked him as a counterrevolutionary. They paraded him through the streets and beat him in public. His relatives were accused of implication in his "crimes" but continued to rescue his manuscripts after his death, hiding them in coal piles and a chimney and moving them from house to house. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... Red Guards refer to socialist or communist militia formed to instigate, support, or defend communist revolutions. ...

His other important works include Si Shi Tong Tang (四世同堂, "Four Generations under One Roof" 1944–1950), a novel describing the life of the Chinese people during the Japanese Occupation; Cat Country (猫城记) a satire which is sometimes seen as the first important Chinese science fiction novel, Cha Guan (茶館, "Teahouse"), a play written in 1957; and Lao Zhang de Zhexue (老張的哲學, "The Philosophy of Old Zhang"), his first published novel, written in London (1926). The Second Sino-Japanese War was a major invasion of eastern China by Japan preceding and during World War II. It ended with the surrender of Japan in 1945. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...

He had four children, one son and three daughters.

References

• Encyclopædia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, "Lao She"

External links

• Memorial of Victims of the Cultural Revolution, Lao She (中国文革受难者纪念馆·老舍)
• Biography
• Drama "Teahouse" wows American audiences China Daily. 16 November 2005.
• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal