Lao She's Writing Backgrounds
Lao She (February 23, 1899-August 24, 1966) was a famous modern Chinese dramatist, novelist, and poet who was hailed as "the most important person in China in the 20th century." Lao She's literary creation involved novels, plays, essays, poems and many other fields. His works had various styles, but he was most famous for his novels. His novels usually depicted the true face of social life, revealing the complexity and contradictions of human nature, and also expressing his thoughts and reflections on Chinese traditional culture and values. Lao She's writing background mainly had two aspects: one was his life experience and the other was the background of the times. His family was born in Beijing, Manchu Zhenghongqi. His father was a doctor and his mother was a teacher. Lao She studied in a private school in his early years and later entered Beijing Normal University to become a teacher. His educational experience gave him a deep understanding and thinking of Chinese traditional culture and values. In the 1920s, China was in a period of aggression and social unrest. Lao She also experienced various difficulties and tribulations in this period. His novels Camel Xiangzi and Teahouse depicted the living conditions and fates of the people at the bottom of society at that time, reflecting the injustice and cruelty of the society at that time. Lao She's works not only reflected the social reality at that time, but also had a profound impact on the development of modern Chinese literature. His writing style and thoughts influenced many later works such as Lu Xun, Mao Dun, Zhang Ailing, etc., and became an important legacy of modern Chinese literature.
