LaoShe's+life

=Lao She's Life=

//Lao She (1899-1966)//

Lao She is a famous Chinese playwright and author of short stories and humorous, satiric novels.

In 1900, when Lao She was very young, his father died on the streets of Beijing while fighting as a guard soldier in the Boxer rebellion. Lao She was left fatherless and his mother was left with the responsibilities of taking care of the family.

Lao She was exposed to Western culture from early adulthood. From 1924-1929 Lao She lived in London and was a Chinese teacher at the School of Oriental and African Studies. He also read works of Charles Dickens to improve his English. In 1930, Lao She returned to China and taught at universities, but kept continuing his writing. His works stressed the futility of an individual's struggle against society.

The second Sino-Japanese war transformed Lao She's views and he started working as a propagandist and headed the All-China Anti-Japanese Writer's Federation.

During the Chinese Revolution, he was publicly denounced and subjected to physical torture like other writers. In 1966, his body was found in Beijing Taiping lake, and his death remains a mystery - he either committed suicide or was murdered.

Sources:

"Lao She." Web. 30 Mar. 2011. .

// Lao She //. Digital image. // Confucius Institute Online //. Xinhua News Agency, 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. .

"老舍“英文”“简”介_百度知道." // 百度知道――全球最大中文互动问答平台 //. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. .