Rickshaw Boy

A classic of Chinese literature that protratis the simplest of quests: a rickshaw-pulling boy whose sole dream in life is as simple as owning hsi own cart. One could possibly attempt to minimize this classic as a portrait of Chinese economy at the beginning of last century. Or a gripping testimony o......more

Having begun his literary career in his five-year stay in England and even modeling his portrayal of Beiping from Charles Dickens’ novels, Lao She achieves a literary feat in “Camel Xiangzi” where the Chinese novel features an authentic Chinese character which seems to be relatable even with Western......more

So tragic and moving. A searing social critique of conditions during China's chaotic war and revolutionary years. I don't care if people accuse it of being deliberately manipulative or not, this was and is a memorable read for me. It is not hard to imagine that millions faced even worse than this du......more

I first encountered the world of rickshaw pullers when I read The City of Joy. "Camel" Xiangzi, like the main character in that book, is one of China's poorest: an illiterate orphan, he goes to Beiping seeking work, but finds that heavy labour as a coolie is not for him. Having no other saleable ski......more

I think this is a valuable piece of social history & literature because it manages to tell a timeless beautiful story precious for its artistic quality but also to paint us a picture of working-class China at the beginning of the 20th century. After reading it, I understood a lot more about living a......more