Module 5 Lao She Teahouse
Unit 1 I Wanted to see the Beijing Opera.
Listen and read
Betty: Lingling and I went to Lao She Teahouse last night.
Tony: How was it?
Betty: It was great! You know, I wanted to see the Beijing Opera, so Lingling offered to take me there. We drank tea and watched an opera.
Tony: Did you understand the opera?
Betty: No, it was difficult to understand the words. But the actors and actresses were excellent.
Tony: How long did you stay?
Betty: We only planned to watch for an hour, but in the end, we stayed for three hours.
Tony: Did you enjoy it?
Betty: Well, it was interesting — that's the main thing. I hope to understand more next time.
Tony: Do you often go to see the Beijing Opera, Lingling?
Lingling: No, I don't. I wanted to take Betty to the teahouse because it's famous.
Tony: Who is Lao She?
Betty: No idea. Ask Lingling.
Lingling: Lao She is a great writer. He's especially famous for his play Teahouse.
Unit 2 It Describes the Changes in Chinese Society.
Teahouse is one of Lao She's most famous plays. He wrote it in 1957. The play has three acts and shows the lives of common people in China from the end of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth century. It tells us the story of Wang Lifa and the customers of his teahouse in Beijing. It describes the changes in Chinese society over fifty years.
Lao She was born in Beijing in 1899. His mother sent him to a teacher's school in 1913. After finishing school in 1918, he became a head teacher of a primary school. In 1924, Lao She left home and went to England. He taught Chinese at a college in London and returned to China five years later. He wrote many plays, novels and short stories about people's lives, and was named “the People's Artist”. Lao She is one of the greatest Chinese writers of the twentieth century.
At Lao She Teahouse today, customers can drink tea and eat delicious Beijing food. If you like the Beijing Opera, traditional music or magic shows, you can enjoy them at the teahouse. Lao She Teahouse gives a warm welcome to everyone from all over the world.