Lao She (1899 - 1966), formerly known as Shu Qingchun (舒庆春), was a Manchu. After the liberation of China, he served as vice chairman of the China Federation of Literature and vice chairman of the Chinese Writers' Association. In 1951, he was awarded the title of "People's Artist" by the Beijing Municipal People's Government. "After the Cultural Revolution, he was brutally persecuted, and on August 24, 1966, he killed himself with a grudge. His major works include the novels "The Philosophy of Old Zhang", "Zhao Ziyi", "Two Horses", "Camel Xiangzi", "Biography of Niu Tianzhi", "The Four Together", "Drum Book Artist", the middle grade novel "My Whole Life", the short story "The Crescent Moon", and the dramas "Longshougou", "Fang Zhuzhu", and "The Teahouse" etc., which make him an important and famous writer in the history of China's modern literature.
The Teahouse :
The Teahouse, which was published and began to be performed in 1957, represents the highest achievement of Lao She's drama creation.
The work is set against the backdrop of the rise and fall of Yutai Teahouse, a large teahouse in the old Beijing, and through the portrayal of the teahouse and the changes of various characters, it reflects the social landscape of the three different eras from the end of the Qing Dynasty, the early years of the Republic of China to the victory of the War of Resistance in the past 50 years, and reveals the turbulence, darkness and evils of the semi-colonial and semi-feudal old China, declaring that the old China is bound to perish. The first is a book that reveals the turmoil, darkness and evils of the semi-colonial and semi-feudal old China, and declares that the old China is bound to perish.
In the first scene, in the early fall of 1898, shortly after the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform and the beheading of Tan Sitong, the business of the Yutai Teahouse was booming, and people from all walks of life used this place as a place to communicate with each other. In this scene, the author shows us that the corrupt feudal society of China has come to an end.
1. The play depicts a small bully who believes in the foreign religion and relies on the foreigners, even the government is afraid of him.
2. Rich and powerful people can invite official thugs and messengers to fight in a group for a pigeon.
3. The Banners, who eat the money and food of the court, are idle all day long.
4. The eunuch-governor of the imperial court not only had a luxurious life at home, but also could buy wives at a high price.
5. The peasants and the urban poor, however, sold their children.
This kind of silhouette depiction shows the life of the society in the late Qing Dynasty, which y reflects the bankruptcy of peasants, poverty of citizens and social darkness caused by the penetration and invasion of imperialism and the desolation and corruption of feudal rulers. All this indicates that the end of Chinese feudal society is coming.
Act II, the excerpted part of the text. ( The early years of the Republic of China )
Act III, the social life of the ruling period after the victory of the war of resistance against Japan. All the decent people in the play are caught in an untenable predicament.
1. The Yutai Teahouse is in a state of disrepair, and no matter how much the owner improves it, he cannot maintain normal business.
2. The famous chef can only steam the nest in prison.
3. Those who are good at what they do can't make a living, and folk arts are often lost.
4. The evil forces are extremely active, with imperialists, feudalists and bureaucrats colluding with each other and running amok, while the gangsters and secret agents are enjoying a good time.
In such an environment, people's lives and properties are threatened at any time, and Wang Lifa hanged himself from a beam after being overrun in a teahouse. The author criticizes and curses such a society with strong passion, showing that old China is doomed to perish. Through the depiction of Kang Dali and others defecting to the liberated area of Xishan Mountain, the play suggests that darkness is about to pass and light is coming.
The play is a funeral song for the old society, and it has had strong repercussions at home and abroad since it was staged.