Extended data
Most of Lao She's works focus on citizen life. He is good at describing the life and fate of the urban poor, especially the conservative and backward middle and lower class citizens who are soaked by feudal patriarchal ideology under the impact of ethnic contradictions and class struggles and new historical trends. The ambivalence of confusion, hesitation and loneliness, and the ridiculous behavior of being in a dilemma and being at a loss. Colorful natural scenery rendering and meticulous description of customs and human feelings add to the life breath and interest of the works.
In the history of modern literature, Lao She's name is always closely related to the citizens and the theme of Beijing. He is an outstanding painter of local conditions and customs in modern literature in China, especially in Beijing. As a great man, the social reality he reflected may not be broad enough, but within the scope he described, he combined history with reality, from the natural scenery throughout the year, the social atmosphere and customs of different times to the joys and sorrows and subtle mentality of all kinds of people, colorful and lively, forming a complete and full "Beijing flavor" world. This is a special contribution of Lao She in the history of modern literature.
Another feature of Lao She's works is that it shows a distinct anti-imperialist and patriotic theme. In Lao She's works, imperialist aggression crimes are often directly exposed, and their economic, cultural and religious infiltration and racial discrimination are described to the people of China from different aspects. He showed national awakening, praised national integrity, and attacked foreign slaves who showed humility and unwise in the face of these invasions and infiltration. The drama Shenquan, written in the early 1960s, reproduces the heroic scene of Beijingers' resistance against Eight-Nation Alliance.