Lao She's Former Residence

　　Lao She's Former Residence, Address: No. 19, Fengfu Hutong, Dengshikou West Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing. The places where Lao She lived before and after the liberation of Beijing totaled ten, nine before the liberation and one after. No. 10, Fengxing Hutong, Nazifu (now No. 19, Fengfu Hutong, Dengshikou West Street) was where he lived after the liberation until his passing. This was the place where Mr. Lao She resided for the longest time and achieved the most in his life.

　　Mr. Lao She “was born in Beijing, grew up in Beijing, died in Beijing. He wrote about Beijing all his life. Lao She and Beijing were inseparable—without Beijing, there would be no Lao She.” The places where Lao She lived before and after the liberation of Beijing totaled ten, nine before the liberation and one after: No. 8, Xiaoyangquan Hutong (now Xiaoyangjia Hutong) was his birthplace, Beijing Normal School (now Yuyuan Hutong), the 17th Primary School (now Fangjia Hutong Primary School), Yijiao Temple Apartment, Western Hills Reclining Buddha Temple, Xizhimen Children’s Library, Gangwashi Christian Church, Educational Association (now Beichangjie Primary School), and No. 6 Yantong Hutong (now No. 9 Ming) were the nine places he lived before the liberation. No. 10, Fengxing Hutong, Nazifu (now No. 19, Fengfu Hutong, Dengshikou West Street) was where he lived for a long time after the liberation until his passing. This was the place where Mr. Lao She resided for the longest time and achieved the most in his life. The current “Lao She's Former Residence” where the memorial museum is located is a cultural relic protection unit announced by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government in 1987. It is an ordinary small siheyuan courtyard that Mr. Lao She purchased with his own money after returning from the United States in 1950. Located at No. 10, Fengfu Hutong, Nazifu, Dongcheng District, Beijing, it is a typical Beijing-style siheyuan with a flush gable roof and purely wooden structure. The entire courtyard is compactly laid out. The main gate faces east and is located on the west side, featuring a gray-tiled gatehouse with black-painted doors. Upon entering, the first thing you see is a brick screen wall with a large red character “Fu” (meaning fortune) in the center as decoration. Going further inside is a small yard with just two southern rooms that served as the gatehouse; to the west is a narrow and long courtyard, which was the living space of Lao She’s son, Shu Yi; to the north is a three-sided courtyard, which is the main part of the residence. As you enter, you first see a colorful wooden screen wall. The main house in the courtyard consists of three northern rooms, each with a side room. The central room and the western side room serve as the living room, the eastern side room is the bedroom, and the western side room was Lao She’s study. The desk faces the east door, allowing him to easily reach the books embedded in the wall cabinet. The desk is made of hardwood inlaid with marble and holds several artifacts: a seal carved for him by Qi Baishi, an inkstone box gifted by General Feng Yuxiang, an inkstone once owned by Li Yu, a Qing Dynasty drama theorist, inscribed with “Li Yu the Bamboo Hat Man’s Painting and Calligraphy Inkstone,” as well as items Lao She used in his lifetime such as glasses, fountain pens, ink bottles, ashtrays, lamps, radios, and calendars. In this small room, Lao She wrote famous plays such as “Fang Zhenzhu,” “Longxugou,” “Teahouse,” “Looking West to Chang’an,” and “A Family Reunion,” along with 23 other works including “The Divine Fists,” written in memory of his father. There are also numerous works of folk art, essays, poems, papers, essays, as well as the unfinished autobiographical novel “Under the Red Flag.” The living room displays sofas, a long case table, a carved round hardwood table, stools, and a multi-tiered display shelf. The sunlit windowsill and tea table on the southern side hold various potted plants and flower arrangements. The western wall is adorned with calligraphy and paintings gifted by renowned traditional Chinese painters and favored by Lao She. According to Lao She’s wife Hu Jieqing, these artworks were changed every few days, and each time they were, Lao She would carefully admire them for a long while. Here, Lao She hosted many famous artists and friends from China and abroad. There are three wing rooms on the east and west sides respectively; Lao She’s daughter lived in the eastern wing room, while the western one was used for dining. In the spring of 1954, Mr. Lao She personally planted two persimmon trees in the small courtyard. Every deep autumn, when the trees are laden with red persimmons, it presents a uniquely poetic scene, prompting Hu Jieqing to affectionately name it the “Persimmon Courtyard.”

　　Lao She (1899–1966)　　Lao She (1899–1966) Chinese writer. His original name was Shu Qingchun, with the courtesy name Shuye. Lao She was his most commonly used pen name. Of Manchu ethnicity. Native of Beijing. Born into an urban working-class family. Life and Works: Graduated from Beijing Normal School in 1918, and held positions such as primary school principal and rural area education officer. The tide of democracy, science, and individual liberation brought by the May Fourth New Culture Movement awakened him from his belief in “diligently running a primary school, obediently serving elders, and marrying and having children in an orderly manner”; the rise of literary revolution then made him “infatuated with new literature,” thus beginning a new chapter in his life and career...   More+

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