"Teahouse" is an immortal three-act drama completed by Lao She in 1957. Through the vertical line of Yutai Teahouse from its struggle to survive to bankruptcy and the "window" of the teahouse, it describes the life scenes in three eras after the failure of the Reform Movement of 1898 in the late Qing Dynasty, the period of the Beiyang warlord separatism in the early years of the Republic of China, and the eve of the fall of the Kuomintang regime on the mainland. People come and go in the teahouse, and people from all walks of life gather together. A big teahouse is like a small society. Mr. Lao She grasped the characteristics of this scene and condensed more than 70 characters in a teahouse over a span of half a century. With a high degree of artistic generalization, he extremely accurately displayed the social microcosm of the vicissitudes of modern and modern Chinese history.
"Longxugou" is also a three-act play, completed in 1950. It describes the different experiences of four families in a small courtyard in Beijing during social changes, and shows the great changes in the old and new eras. It tells the story of the protagonist, Madman Cheng, who changed from an artist to a "madman" in the old society, and from a "madman" to an artist in the new society. It reflects the different destinies of people before and after the founding of New China and their support and love for the new regime.
Reader comments
Both books are Mr. Lao She's classic works. Through detailed descriptions of ordinary people's lives, they show the changes in society and the various aspects of life. "Teahouse" is like an old movie. Every character is so vivid that I feel like I can see their every word and action in the teahouse. "Longxugou" made me feel the huge difference between the old and new society, and the fate of the characters also changed accordingly. Both books made me appreciate my current life more and gave me a deeper understanding of history. They are like two old friends, they bring me new feelings every time I read them.
Both books are Mr. Lao She's classic works. Through detailed descriptions of ordinary people's lives, they show the changes in society and the various aspects of life. "Teahouse" is like an old movie. Every character is so vivid that I feel like I can see their every word and action in the teahouse. "Longxugou" made me feel the huge difference between the old and new society, and the fate of the characters also changed accordingly. Both books made me appreciate my current life more and gave me a deeper understanding of history. They are like two old friends, they bring me new feelings every time I read them.