Soon after his return, Lao She enthusiastically participated in the political, social, and cultural activities while also devoting himself to the reform of traditional arts and the training of young literary workers. Meanwhile, he created several famous dramas. Among them, Teahouse and Dragon Beard Ditch were the most well known.
In 1951, the staging of Dragon Beard Ditch caused a huge sensation in society and among the literary circles. It was hailed as a phenomenon that a writer who was born and had lived through the old society could give birth to such a fabulous drama paying tribute to new China. For this, Lao She was honored as a "People's Artist."
Among his late creations, Teahouse , which was written in 1957, was the most successful and well known. The events are set in Wang Lifa's Beijing teahouse during three different periods: 1898 under the empire, the 1910s under the warlords, and around 1945 after World War Two. Towards the end, Wang and his friends confess the failure of their lives. The teahouse is requisitioned as a club and Wang is offered a job as doorman -- however, he has already hanged himself. One of the most frequently performed repertoires among Chinese dramas, Teahouse was praised as "a miracle in Eastern stage" when staged in some Western European countries.
The name of Lao She has always been connected with urban residents and Beijing; hence he was seen as an excellent "painter" of the folk customs and ways of the world (especially that of Beijing), which was his special contribution to modern literature.
However, Lao She, as great he was a litterateur and artist suffered severe persecution during the Culture Revolution (1966-1976), for which he committed suicide on August 24, 1966.
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