Lao She was born Shu Qingchun 舒庆春 in 1899 to a Manchu banner family on Xiaoyangjia Hutong near Xinjiekou Nanjie. His father served in the guard of the Plain Red Banner and was killed in action defending the city against the Allied Expeditionary Force during the Boxer War (1900-1901). Lao She would later take advantage of new forms of writing that used Chinese vernaculars to infuse his novels, short stories and plays with the language of Beijing, making the city come alive. It is not an exaggeration to say that Lao She is to Beijing what James Joyce is to Dublin. He is probably your Beijing friend’s favorite “classic” author.
Getting to Know Your Beijing Neighbors: Lao She