Camel Xiangzi

Camel Xiangzi, written by Lao She (老舍), one of China’s most celebrated vernacular writers, this landmark 1939 novel traces the tragic downfall of a hardworking young rickshaw puller in 1920s Beiping. Orphaned rural youth Xiangzi flees poverty to the capital, clinging to a single dream: owning his own rickshaw to live with dignity. Three times he gains his coveted vehicle or life savings, three times misfortune and cruel social exploitation strip everything away. War soldiers seize his first rickshaw; a corrupt detective robs his second fortune; a forced unhappy marriage to the fierce older woman Tigress crushes his spirit, and the suicide of his only pure love, Little Fuzi, finally turns him into a broken, cynical drifter.

The nickname “Camel Xiangzi” originates from his escape from war captives alongside three camels, a symbol of his initial docile, resilient spirit before society grinds him to ruin. Lao She’s core critique lays bare how an unfair pre-revolutionary society crushes ordinary laborers’ modest individual hopes, exposing the futility of personal striving without systemic change.

Lao She (1899–1966), born Shu Qingchun, specialized in vivid Beiping dialect and bittersweet humanistic satire. His iconic works include Four Generations Under One Roof, Cat City, and Teahouse. This novel remains his most internationally recognized masterpiece for its raw, accessible portrayal of working-class suffering.

This original translation by Arthur Peng delivers unadapted, faithful rendering of Lao She’s sharp prose, preserving authentic local customs and layered social commentary. It fills a gap in global Chinese literature circulation, offering Western readers an unaltered, authoritative edition free from prior translated alterations, letting worldwide audiences fully grasp the tragedy of old Beijing’s underprivileged masses. Timeless and devastating, the story still resonates as a searing meditation on fate, labor, and crushed ambition.