Description
Set in a typical, old Beijing teahouse, this classic play spans fifty years and has a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. They reflect, through changes in their own lives, the changes that were taking place in Chinese society. The strength and appeal of the play lie in part in Lao She's masterful recreation of the characters and language of the street of old Beijing; but the center of it strength is Lao She's vision, his unerring choice of significant detail, his familiarity with the strengths, weaknesses, and ironies of the old society he describes.
