Editing Lao She (section)

===Career===
Between 1918 and 1924, Lao She was involved as administrator and faculty member at a number of primary and secondary schools in Beijing and [[Tianjin]]. He was highly influenced by the [[May Fourth Movement]] (1919). He stated, "The May Fourth Movement gave me a new spirit and a new [[Written vernacular Chinese|literary language]]. I am grateful to the May Fourth Movement, as it allowed me to become a writer."

He went on to serve as lecturer in the Chinese section of the [[School of Oriental Studies]] (now the [[School of Oriental and African Studies]]) at the [[University of London]] from 1924 to 1929, living in [[Notting Hill]] for most of that period.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/lao-she/| title = Lao She {{!}} Writer {{!}} Blue Plaques {{!}} English Heritage}} </ref> During his time in London, he absorbed a great deal of [[English literature]] (especially [[Charles Dickens|Dickens]], whom he adored) and began his own writing. His later novel ''[[Mr Ma and Son]]'', about a Chinese father and his son in London, drew on these experiences.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=pfKhnQNR4wMC&pg=PR9 Witchard, ''Lao She in London'']</ref> Up until that time, he had signed his works with his [[courtesy name]] She Yu (舍予). In his first novel "Old Zhang's Philosophy" (老张的哲学 ''Lao Zhang de Zhexue''),<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lyell|first=William A|title=Lao She(3 February 1899 – 25 August 1966)|journal=Dictionary of Literary Biography|series=Chinese Fiction Writers, 1900-1949|volume=328|pages=104–122|via=Gale Literature}}</ref> first published on [[Fiction Monthly]], he first adopted the pen name Lao She. 

In the summer of 1929, he left Britain for Singapore, teaching at the [[The Chinese High School (Singapore)|Chinese High School]]. Between his return to China in the spring of 1930 until 1937, he taught at several universities, including [[Cheeloo University]] until 1934,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Birch|first=Cyril|date=1961|title=Lao She: The Humourist in his Humour|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s030574100000179x|journal=The China Quarterly|volume=8|pages=45–62|doi=10.1017/s030574100000179x|s2cid=154319725|issn=0305-7410}}</ref> and [[Shandong University]] ([[Qingdao]]).

Lao She was a major popularizer of humor in China, especially through his novels, his short stories and essays for journals like [[Lin Yutang]]'s "The Analects Fortnightly" (論語半月刊, ''Lunyu Banyuekan'', est. 1932), and his stage plays and other performing arts, notably [[xiangsheng]].<ref>Christopher Rea, "The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China" (California, 2015), chapter 6: "The Invention of Humor"</ref>

On 27 March 1938, [[The All-China Resistance Association of Writers and Artists]] was established with Lao She as its leader. The purpose of this organization was to unite cultural workers against the Japanese, and Lao She was a respected novelist who had remained neutral during the ideological discussions between various literary groups in the preceding years.

In March 1946, Lao She travelled to the United States on a two-year cultural grant sponsored by the State Department, lecturing and overseeing the translation of several of his novels, including ''The Yellow Storm'' (1951) and his last novel, ''[[The Drum Singers]]'' (1952; its Chinese version was not published until 1980). He stayed in the US from 1946 until December 1949. During Lao She's traveling, his friend, [[Pearl S. Buck]], and her husband, had served as sponsors and they helped Lao She live in the U.S. After the People's Republic of China was established, Lao She rejected Buck's advice to stay in America and came back to China. ''[[Rickshaw Boy]]'' was translated by Buck in the early 1940s. This action helped Rickshaw Boy become a best seller book in America.<ref>Wang, David Der-wei, ed. A New Literary History of Modern China. Cumberland: Harvard University Press, 2017. Page.580-583

Accessed 16 December 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central.</ref>