Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu

Rating:
Summary: Worst book ever!
Review: Don't ever read this book or take Chinese History where you will be forced to read this book. I can't tell Hsiang Tzu from Sang Wu.

Rating:
Summary: Worst book ever!
Review: Don't ever read this book or take Chinese History where you will be forced to read this book. I can't tell Hsiang Tzu from Sang Wu.

Rating:
Summary: Must read for those searching for meaning...
Review: I first read this book in a Chinese Literature class ten yearsago. I enjoyed it then, but only now after a second reading did Ireally savour it. Lao She tells the story of how a society based on survival of the (financially) fittest turns many "ambitious" citizens back into animals with no need of a mind or heart left. Lao She does not portray them as victims but products of a society based on "individualism". Seems one could compare the USA of 2000 (where school boys kill each other for mass marketed tennis shoes and school girls starve themselves to death for media illusions of beauty) with the Peking of 1920 we just have more wealth to pay with. This is not a fairy tale, but dark reality as the truth often is :-)

Rating:
Summary: Lao She's "Rickshaw" -- It's the writing that makes it great
Review: In "Rickshaw" the protagonist Tsiang Tzu leaves the countryside and finds work as a rickshaw puller in Peking. He is a hearty young man with aspirations of owning his own rickshaw and creating a stable life for himself. Misfortune, illness and his own willful nature eventually lead to his physical and moral destruction. Is he a victim of social forces beyond his control? Is the novel an indictment of the China of Lao She's time and those like Tsiang Tzu that it had produced? The brunt of the condemnation voiced in the final lines of the novel seem clearly to indicate the latter, a position that will inevitably be challenging to accept for many readers. The political themes of the novel are engaging and relevant. However, the writing itself is what makes this novel a remarkable reading experience. Lao She brings Tsiang Tzu's world to life in vivid detail, the dust, the cold, the bleak harrowing streets of Peking. A panoply of minor characters are deftly portrayed, a kindly intellectual and his family, a young prostitute struggling to feed her younger brothers, Tsiang Tsu's bullying wife, a decadent functionary and his mistress, a blckmailing police officer, derelict prostitues and rickshaw pullers old and young. In description and characterization, the book clearly displays the literary prowess of Lao She. At plot level the novel is eventful and reads quickly. For those seeking an "idea" book, there are the aforementioned themes; but, again, what makes this book a truly strong novel is the artful writing that so masterfully portrays the world of Tsiang Tzu. Readers new to Lao She who are drawn to great writing will, having read "Rickshaw," relish the prospect of exploring his other works.

Rating:
Summary: Rickshaw by Lao She
Review: Rickshaw, also known as Lo Tuo Xiang Zi, is considered as a classic in the world of modern Chinese literature. The author of this book is Lao She; the book was written in 1936. The story is set in Beijing. Time passes swiftly in this novel; the beginning to the end of the story is roughly five years. This novel is not just a story about rickshaw pullers, but a story about the social miseries in early modern China. Lao She's work is a real depiction of the ugliness and cold-heartedness of this world. The writing and description itself is what makes this novel an incredible reading experience. Lao She's literary prowess enables him to portray Xiang Zi's world to life. He describes the world of Xiang Zi, including the dust, the rain, the heat, the cold, the hearts of people, and the harrowing streets of Peking in vivid details. Insidiously, a political theme is implemented by Lao She. The condemnation voiced in the final lines of the novel clearly indicates his hate on individualism and left wing ideas. Nevertheless, the locus of focus in Rickshaw is Xiang Zi. Moment by moment, Lao She's eyes are fixed on Xiang Zi, and Xiang Zi's attention is always on the rickshaw.

Rating:
Summary: Rickshaw by Lao She
Review: Rickshaw, also known as Lo Tuo Xiang Zi, is considered as a classic in the world of modern Chinese literature. The author of this book is Lao She; the book was written in 1936. The story is set in Beijing. Time passes swiftly in this novel; the beginning to the end of the story is roughly five years. This novel is not just a story about rickshaw pullers, but a story about the social miseries in early modern China. Lao She's work is a real depiction of the ugliness and cold-heartedness of this world. The writing and description itself is what makes this novel an incredible reading experience. Lao She's literary prowess enables him to portray Xiang Zi's world to life. He describes the world of Xiang Zi, including the dust, the rain, the heat, the cold, the hearts of people, and the harrowing streets of Peking in vivid details. Insidiously, a political theme is implemented by Lao She. The condemnation voiced in the final lines of the novel clearly indicates his hate on individualism and left wing ideas. Nevertheless, the locus of focus in Rickshaw is Xiang Zi. Moment by moment, Lao She's eyes are fixed on Xiang Zi, and Xiang Zi's attention is always on the rickshaw.

Rating:
Summary: common people's struggle
Review: This book absolutely deserves it's honor to be a Chinese classic. Yes, this book is a required text by many asian study courses, but there is a significant, and a great reason for it. Lectures only talk about the lives of the emperors and the lord of the dynasties. They lived wealthy lives, but what about the common people? even though lectures normally don't discuss the lives of the working people, that doesn't mean they aren't important.

Rickshaw brings the hardships of the labors to life through a somewhat humorous and satire tone. It's is worth reading, both for a class or not. The main character Hsiang Tzu will take your emotion on to a roller coaster ride!