Lao She’s Former Residence in Chongqing

Lao She’s Former Residence in Chongqing

Lao She’s Former Residence in Chongqing is a cultural relic protection unit of Chongqing Municipality.

Introduction: Located at No. 32-3, No. 63 Tiansheng Xincun, Beibei District. The renowned writer Lao She lived here from June 1943 to February 1946. The house is of brick-and-wood structure, covering an area of about 80 square meters, shaded by tung trees and set in a tranquil environment. The literary figure Lin Yutang purchased the house in 1940, but one of its corners was soon destroyed in an air raid by Japanese planes, though it was promptly repaired. In August of that year, Lin left for the United States and donated the house to the Beibei Branch of the All-China Resistance Association of Literary and Art Circles. It is now designated as a cultural relic protection unit.

Lao She’s Former Residence has been converted into the Lao She Memorial Hall, exhibiting over 160 photos of Lao She, more than 160 volumes of documents, as well as the stationery and personal items he once used. It welcomes visitors from home and abroad for tours and tributes, serving as an important site for understanding Lao She’s personal charm and appreciating the spirit of his literature. The site often attracts American experts, Japanese scholars, Korean poets, as well as cultural figures from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China who come here to trace his legacy.

Chongqing Beibei District

Lao She (1899–1966)

A Chinese writer. His original name was Shu Qingchun, with the courtesy name Sheyu. Lao She was his most commonly used pen name. Of Manchu ethnicity, he was from Beijing and born into a poor urban family.

Life and Works: He graduated from the Beijing Normal School in 1918 and held positions such as elementary school principal and rural education officer in the northern suburbs. The democratic, scientific, and individual-liberation ideals brought forth by the May Fourth New Culture Movement awakened him from his previous life philosophy of “diligently running an elementary school, obediently serving parents, and properly marrying and raising children.” The rise of the literary revolution further led him to… More detailed information on Lao She++