A brief introduction to Lao She’s life

(1) Lao She (February 3, 1899 - August 24, 1966), whose original name was Shu Qingchun, also had the pen names Jie Qing, Hong Lai, Fei Wo, etc., with the courtesy name She Yu. Because Lao She was born at the beginning of spring in the lunar calendar, his parents named him "Qingchun", which probably means celebrating the coming of spring and a bright future. After going to school, he changed his name to Shu Sheyu, which means "giving up oneself", that is, "forgetting oneself". Beijing Manchu Zhenghongqi people.

(2) Chinese modern novelist, writer, language master, people's artist, the first writer in New China to win the title of "people's artist". His representative works include "Camel Xiangzi", "Four Generations Under One Roof" and the play "Teahouse".

(3) Lao She was born in Beijing in 1899. His father was a Manchu guard who was killed in the Eight-Power Allied Forces' attack on Beijing. The family relied on the mother to do laundry for others to make ends meet.

(4) After graduating in 1918, he was assigned to be the principal of Fangjia Hutong Primary School. Two years later, he was promoted to a student counselor in the northern suburbs of the Capital Education Bureau. However, because it was difficult to interact with the old forces in the education sector and the local area, he quickly resigned from this well-paid position and returned to school teaching. .

(5) In 1922, he was ordained and joined Christianity. He later taught Chinese at Nankai Middle School in Tianjin and worked in the Beijing Education Association and the Beijing Local Service Corps. During this period, he was passionate about social services and also tutored in English at night schools and Yenching University.

(6) In 1932, he created "Cat City" and serialized it in "Modern" magazine. In the following years, Lao She successively created works such as "Divorce" and "Crescent Moon", which have an important status in the history of modern literature.

(7) In 1936, Lao She resigned as a professor at Shandong University to concentrate on writing. In September, "Luotuo Xiangzi" was serialized in "Universe Wind". In 1939, the book was officially released by Renjian Bookstore.

(8) In 1938, Lao She was elected as the executive director and director of the general affairs department of the All-China Literary and Art Circles Anti-Enemy Association. He presided over daily affairs internally, represented the "Literary and Art Association" externally, and was fully responsible for the general affairs of the association. Leadership work. In July of the same year, he moved westward to Chongqing with the Literary and Art Association.

Lao She always worked selflessly throughout his life. He is a well-deserved "model worker" in the literary and art circles. In 1966, due to the vicious attacks and persecution during the Cultural Revolution, Lao She was forced to commit suicide in Beijing's Taiping Lake.

In September 2017, the classic modern Chinese literature novel "Four Generations Under One Roof" was published by Oriental Publishing Center. This is the first time the work has been published in full form since its publication.

In 1939, the English version of "The Golden Lotus" translated by Lao She was published in London, translated as The Golden Lotus. This edition is the more authoritative translation of "The Golden Lotus" in the West and has been published four times.

In 1944, he created and published the first volume of "Four Generations Under One Roof", "Confusion", by Liangyou Fuxing Printing Company.

In 1946, he was invited by the US State Department to give lectures in the United States for a year. In the same year, he published the second volume of "Four Generations Under One Roof", "Stealing Life".