| Teahouse Contributor(s): Lao, She (Author), Howard-Gibbon, John (Translator) |
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ISBN: 9629961253 ISBN-13: 9789629961251 Publisher: Chinese University of Hong Kong Press OUR PRICE: $11.88 Product Type: Paperback Published: October 2004 Annotation: This is one of the famous dramas by Lao She. The drama is set in a typical, old Beijing teahouse and follows the lives of the owner and his customers through three stages in modern Chinese history. The play spans fifty years and has a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. Brought together in Yutai Teahouse, they reflect the changes that took place in Chinese society. The strength and appeal of the play lie in part in Lao She's masterful recreation of the characters and language of the streets of old Beijing, but the center of its strength is Lao She's vision, his unerring choice of significant detail, and his familiarity with the old society he is describing, with its strengths, weaknesses, and ironies. It is this which carries "Teahouse" beyond the borders of social criticism and makes it a complex and living work of art. Written in 1957, "Teahouse" bids an inspired, lingering farewell to old Beijing and the old society, despite their evils and ills, and extends a passionate welcome to the new society with its promise of freedom and equality of the people. Standing as it does between old and new China, and deeply rooted in both, "Teahouse" shimmers with a fine sense of ambivalence. True to its writer, to China, and to its time, it is a masterpiece of modern theater. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Drama | Asian - General |
| Dewey: 895.02 |
| Series: Bilingual Modern Chinese Literature |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.4" W x 8.3" (0.70 lbs) 150 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Chinese |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |