Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu

Rickshaw, written by She Lao tells of the complex life of Xiang Zi and his struggles to survive during a tumultuous time in China during the mid 1930's.She Lao writes a remarkable story, full of societal/cultural details contrasting those of privilege and those of poverty. It is a writing style which demanded attention to the nuances of personal relationships, class struggle, traditions, and of the ugliness, horrors, and dangers lurking amidst a relegated society. In this regard, She Lao's description of life among rickshaw pullers was especially insightful and multilayered.Through the tormented character, Xiang Zi we learn about the hardships suffered by the rickshaw pullers in Beijing, and the stark realities of trying to survive amid harsh conditions. Most compelling was the author, She Lao's ability to convey the complicated psyche of Xiang Zi and the misery he suffered and tried to overcome - simply trying to make a living and figure out his desires and purpose.This is a well written book which required focus, because [for me] it raised questions about one man's inner quest for understanding and acceptance of his lowly fate.Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu, by She Lao addresses important philosophical questions, and for this reason it is a book I plan to read again.Maizie Lucille JamesJanuary 13, 2012

A good read.

I am really enjoying this fine book. Wonderful writing and a powerful story of an incredible time and place in China's history.

Yes, this definitely is a story of hardship

Good

good

This the first novel by a Chinese author that I have read, and it reminded me a lot of the Naturalist school of Zola and Gorki; a novel in whose hidden layer is a social denouncement and an agenda, if not political, at least civic, almost ideological. It gives no concession to Fantasy nor to Hope, and it draws a merciless social portrait, focused on injustice, misery, and sordidness.Xiangzi, later called "the Camel", is a young peasant, an epitome of work ethics and physical strength, whose dream in life is to get to be the proud owner of a rickshaw and make a living with the sweat, not of his brow, but of his entire body. Arriving in Beijing, he rents a rickshaw, and with sacrifice and a spartan way of life, he finally saves enough to buy one. He is happy. But alas!, civil war comes to Beijing and one day, taking a risky mission, he is robbed of his rickshaw and taken prisoner. Thus begins his ghastly ordeal, which includes a return to Beijing, a fresh - but miserable -start as rickshaw puller, an unwanted and forced love affair, an unfortunate encounter with politics, and a relationship with a prostitute.There seems to be a message in this novel: there is nothing to gain by individual effort; only collective action, fraternity, solidarity, and sociability can bring justice and peace to a world devoid of pity, corrupt, capable of breaking apart pure souls like Xiangzi's. Well written and heartbreaking.

Rickshaw: The Novel Lo-t'o Hsiang Tzu, a 1936 novel penned by Chinese author Lao She, depicts the struggle of the unskilled, lower class worker in early 20th century China with painstaking accuracy. The story is a commentary on the corruption of Chinese society and its impact on the people, but it develops to reveal an additional message: Individualism and selfish ambition lead to downfall, failure, and misery. Hsiang Tzu is the victim of his times and circumstances, but not completely; he is also his own worst enemy. What begins as a sympathetic tale of the rickshaw puller's plight gradually turns into a moralist's warning of the catastrophe spawned by individualism and the danger of a society which promotes it.The old rickshaw man, Hsiao Ma's grandfather, sums up Lao She's point the most succinctly: "any poor guy who thinks he can succeed by himself will find it harder than going to heaven. How far can one man hop? [A grasshopper] can go a long way in one hop by itself. Let a small boy grab it and tie a thread around it and it can't go anywhere. But if it joins up with a whole lot of other grasshoppers in a horde and they all move together, whew!"According to Lao She, in a society that promotes and necessitates individualism, people will never be able to truly succeed. When people serve only themselves, corruption and deceit flourish, which in turn promotes individualism, which then begins the cycle anew.Rickshaw is a condemnation of Lao She's corrupt China and the selfish people that it produced. However, it also serves as a vivid and historically accurate account of the hardships faced by the lowly rickshaw puller. This book will not tell you, it will SHOW you how an honest and upright man can be beaten down into the most degenerate of scumbags.Highly recommended.