Lao She taught colloquial Chinese at the School of Oriental Studies in London between 1924 and 1929.
Reference context#
SOAS’s own historical account records that teaching appointment at the institution later known as the School of Oriental and African Studies. This is one documented period, not a complete biography.
Reading exercise#
When reading a London-set work, distinguish a fictional scene from the author’s documented appointment. Identify the edition and narrator before using a literary passage as evidence about the writer’s life or the city.
Scope#
The reading questions are editorial suggestions. This introduction does not reproduce literary passages or claim a complete biography.