Mr. Ma and his son Ma Wei run an antiques shop nestled in a quiet street by St Paul's Cathedral in London, where, far from their native Peking, they struggle to navigate the bustling pavements and myriad social conventions of 1920s English society. From their well-meaning landlady Mrs. Wedderburn and her carefree daughter Mary, to the old China hands the Reverend Ely and his formidable wife, the Mas encounter all sorts in this story of unexpected love, crossed wires, and antipathy. A major contribution to the early 20th-century conversation on Sino-British relations, Mr Ma and Son is a compelling, witty tale of cultural give-and-take from one of China's best-loved authors.

Mr Ma & Son

Literature & Fiction

She, Lao

Literary

Penguin Books China

Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu

The sights, sounds, and smells of early twentieth century Peking are reproduced in a socialist novel depicting the dehumanization of a worker who both represents and is victimized by a sick society

University of Hawaii Press

Contemporary

Blades of Grass: The Stories of Lao She

"If you want to write good short stories," Lao She once observed, "you have to give it everything you’ve got. The world will allow the existence of a very imperfect novel, but it won’t be that polite with a short story. Art, after all, is not like a pig―the fatter the better." Lao She’s stories proved to be very good indeed, moving and delighting readers for many years and establishing him as a master of classic modern fiction. Thankfully we now have access to a rich collection of his short stories in superb English translations. These stories showcase the varied facets of Lao She’s impressive talent and draw us effortlessly into his world-and we emerge the better for it. This is a writer eternally immersed in and fascinated by the kaleidoscope of humankind. The stories are characterized by humor and by intensely sympathetic explorations of human relationships. Some of them are unsettling. Many are poignant. Most of them make us laugh. All evoke the color and energy of life, for Lao She is also a connoisseur of the everyday with a keen appreciation of the concrete detail. A plate of steaming dumplings, the gleam of gold-capped front teeth, rickshaws dragging along alleys, punishing winter winds, rolls of bright silk, a pair of chopsticks―these things are the stuff of Lao She’s fiction and the essence of his metaphors, and he cherishes such little details of life more than the abstractions of politics or philosophy.

Blades of Grass: The Stories of Lao She (Fiction from Modern China)

History & Criticism

Written in 1957, Teahouse is Lao She's tour de force masterwork of Chinese drama: a play in three acts spanning fifty years with a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. Brought together over the daily ritual of tea and conversation, the characters reflect, via a masterful recreation of the language and dialogue of old Beijing, upon the changes in their own lives, and the changes that were taking place in Chinese society from the twilight of the dynastic era to the dawn of the People’s Republic of China. Teahouse is a window into the heart and soul of the Chinese people at a crucial moment in history. In comparing the “old” China with the “new” Chia, the appeal of Teahouse through the decades reaches well beyond the borders of social criticism and extends into a complex and living work of art. Standing as it does between two distinct Chinas (the old and the new), and with its feet firmly rooted in both, Teahouse, even in the 21st century, has remained true to its author, true to its time, and true to China. It is this rare quality that makes it a masterpiece of modern theater beloved by audience worldwide.

Teahouse

Dramas & Plays

China Books

Nights of spring fever, and other writings (Panda books)

Chinese Literature, Beijing

Set in an old teahouse in Beijing, the play is typical of Lao She's art that seeks to provide a panoramic view of Chinese history and culture in their transformation from tradition to modernity. Teahouse spans fifty years in modern Chinese history from the collapse of the Qing dynasty and the Republican Revolution to the birth of the People's Republic. The play brings together over sixty characters, representing all walks of life in change. It is noted for its vivid portrayal of characters and lively use of Beijing dialect, but its main thrust lies in Lao She's vision of history, which is prophetic of later political movements and its disastrous effects on the average Chinese people. Teahouse is a rare masterpiece of the contemporary Chinese theatre. It has been performed in Japan, Europe and North America, and translated into major foreign languages.

Teahouse: A Play in Three Acts

China Books & Periodicals

My Life

Classics

Independently published

Renowned for his absurdist re-visioning of the world and experimentation with the techniques of humour in his writings, Lao She has written about most major historical events in modern China. In Camel Xiangzi he reveals his prophetic vision of the future of China. The novel depicts the life of Xiangzi, a young rickshaw-puller in Beijing, who fails to improve his life no matter how hard he works. When innocent people's hopes are destroyed, they are awakened to the truth that they are but playthings of fate, which is a Chinese concept for the unnameable in life's absurdities. The novel demonstrates the techniques of bitter humour Lao She employs in his portrayal of characters, who are caught in the endless social turmoil in the 1930s. The novel's socio-historical dimensions have made it a widely used text for the cultural analysis of modern China.

Camel Xiangzi (Bilingual Series on Modern Chinese Literature)

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press

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Books by She, Lao