Beijing, the sprawling capital of China, has been the backdrop for many compelling stories that paint a picture of the city’s rich history and complex society.
Here are some novels that are set in Beijing and offer a unique lens into its past and present.
Lao She’s “Rickshaw Boy,” originally published in 1937, offers an evocative look at old Beijing through the life of its central character, Xiangzi.
Xiangzi is a hardworking rickshaw puller who dreams of owning his rickshaw, and through his eyes, we witness the socio-economic struggles of the common man in the city.
What stands out in Lao She’s portrayal of Beijing is his ability to lay bare the daunting hardships and inequalities of the time.
“Rickshaw Boy” is a compelling socio-realistic portrayal of the city, capturing the essence of Beijing in the early twentieth century.
Another masterful work by Lao She, “Four Generations Under One Roof,” provides a deep dive into Beijing during the tumultuous era of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Spanning over the course of Japanese occupation, the novel focuses on the lives of the Qi family living in a traditional siheyuan (courtyard house) in Beijing.
Through the interactions and everyday life of four generations, Lao She examines themes of family loyalty, cultural preservation, and the resilience of the human spirit amid war.
The setting of Beijing serves as more than just a backdrop but as an integral character that shapes the narrative and its inhabitants.
Transporting readers to a historical fantasy version of Beijing, “Bu Bu Jing Xin” by Tong Hua is a time-travel romance novel that has gained widespread popularity, especially after being adapted into a successful television series.
The story follows a modern woman who is thrown back in time to the Qing Dynasty and finds herself trapped in the body of a young lady, Maertai Ruoxi.
The Beijing, in this narrative, is opulent and imperial, teeming with political intrigue and a struggle for power within the Forbidden City.
The sharp contrast between the modern and ancient times offers a unique perspective on the city’s transformation throughout history.
A novel set in the Republican era, “Fate in Tears and Laughter” by Zhang Henshui gives readers a glimpse of pre-Communist Beijing.
The narrative revolves around the fortunes and misfortunes of a group of characters whose lives intersect in the city.
Beijing is symbolically depicted with its labyrinth of alleys and traditional hutongs, capturing the cultural and social atmosphere of the time.
Zhang’s novel is a melodrama that skillfully uses Beijing as a stage for a broader commentary on love, society, and destiny.
This historical fiction is part of the Flashman Papers series.
In “Flashman and the Dragon,” the protagonist Sir Harry Flashman finds himself embroiled in the Anglo-French military expedition to Beijing during the Second Opium War.
Although this novel was written by a British author, George MacDonald Fraser, and features a fictional British protagonist, it still offers readers a unique, if British-centric, view of 19th-century Beijing and its role in the international conflicts of the time.
Tom Clancy, known for his thrilling espionage and military fiction, presents Beijing not as the central setting but as a crucial piece in the high-stakes geopolitical chess game in “The Bear and the Dragon.”
The novel, themed around international conflict and diplomacy, portrays Beijing as the heart of Chinese political power, a city where decisions are made that resonate across the globe.
Through Clancy’s eyes, we see a modern Beijing that is as formidable on the world stage as its historical counterpart was insular and mysterious.