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Rickshaw Boy
Translated from the Chinese by Evan King.
First published in China in 1937, Rickshaw Boy is the story of Xiangzi, an honest and serious country boy who works as a rickshaw puller in Beijing. A man of simple needs whose greatest ambition is to one day own his own rickshaw, Xiangzi is nonetheless thwarted, time and again, in his attempts to improve his lot in life.
One of the most important and popular works of twentieth-century Chinese literature, Rickshaw Boy is an unflinchingly honest, darkly comic look at a life on the margins of society and a searing indictment of the philosophy of individualism.
First published in China in 1937, Rickshaw Boy is the story of Xiangzi, an honest and serious country boy who works as a rickshaw puller in Beijing. A man of simple needs whose greatest ambition is to one day own his own rickshaw, Xiangzi is nonetheless thwarted, time and again, in his attempts to improve his lot in life.
One of the most important and popular works of twentieth-century Chinese literature, Rickshaw Boy is an unflinchingly honest, darkly comic look at a life on the margins of society and a searing indictment of the philosophy of individualism.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1937
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 17, 2023
Excellent portrayal of life in early 20th century Peking from POV of lower classes in person of "Happy Boy" a simple fellow who just wants to make an honest living from pulling a rickshaw. The style involves quite a lot of recapitulation/navel-gazing and so feels a bit padded/slow to modern taste, but the underlying core is well worthy of 3.5 stars and the superb/charming illustrations add an extra half star on their own.
October 5, 2022
Ten years apart from the first time I read this novel, I walk away with a very different impression of Lao She and of Rickshaw Boy (Luotuo Xiangzi) than the first time I read it. The first reading was of Evan King's problematic 1945 translation. King infamously inserted two new characters and changed the ending. He also literally translated the characters' names, leading to awkward reading. I felt the novel was kind of dry and overly simplistic.
Howard Goldblatt's more faithful translation and introduction does marvels to show why this novel is so beloved to Chinese readers around the world. Middle schoolers in China read this novel and it is well-liked, an exemplary Republican-era urban novel with social commentaries, a critique of individualism, and moments of dark irony. The city of Beiping comes to life in Lao She's descriptions of his beloved hometown. And Xiangzi's gradual change under the city's landscape comes at you slowly. You can see where it's going, but you keep rooting for him anyways. I think Lao She excels in this novel most in his descriptions of the city: its weather, its streets, its people, its buildings and alleyways, and that decidedly "Beijinger" accent to everything.
Howard Goldblatt's more faithful translation and introduction does marvels to show why this novel is so beloved to Chinese readers around the world. Middle schoolers in China read this novel and it is well-liked, an exemplary Republican-era urban novel with social commentaries, a critique of individualism, and moments of dark irony. The city of Beiping comes to life in Lao She's descriptions of his beloved hometown. And Xiangzi's gradual change under the city's landscape comes at you slowly. You can see where it's going, but you keep rooting for him anyways. I think Lao She excels in this novel most in his descriptions of the city: its weather, its streets, its people, its buildings and alleyways, and that decidedly "Beijinger" accent to everything.
January 11, 2013
This book was depressing and seemed almost pointless. I liked reading a book from another culture, but I wasn't really impressed with the story. I would like to know the reasoning behind its being on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. Maybe because it is so depressing? Who knows. Anyway, the story is about a rickshaw puller living in Peking who can never advance in the world. Each time he makes a little headway in life, he gets knocked down lower and lower. It reminded me a little of Requiem for a Dream (didn't read, just watched the movie). I wouldn't really recommend.
August 1, 2017
It took me a MONTH to read this thing, and I'm not a slow or lazy reader. That should tell you something. This was possibly the worst book I've ever had the displeasure to suffer through. In all honesty, aside from the repetitiveness, I think it was due largely to a lot of the meaning being lost in translation and overly verbose. If you can read it in it's original language (either Chinese or Mandarin; I'm not sure which), I would recommend doing that instead of directly in English. If not, skip it completely. Honestly, I'd do that regardless, but that's me.
August 20, 2014
This is the story of an orphaned young man who comes to Peking and becomes a rickshaw boy. He has many mishaps and tragedies, and this is the account of how he came through. It is wordy, but the characters are well rounded and the writing is good.
February 25, 2017
While this is the story of a man pulling a Rickshaw in 1930s China, it is also the story of the working poor in any era or country. Someone with a good understanding of Chinese history would undoubtedly get more out of this book that I did, hopefully a few years from now I can do just that.
August 2, 2021
To call the main character Happy Boy was horrible. The little time he was happy was totally outweighed by the misery. A thoroughly unhappy and depressing book, and I'm sorry I wasted my time on it!
October 23, 2018
Fabulous classic novel. So much Chinese history. Fascinating!
September 4, 2020
It was an insight to a very fragile time of history.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews