骆驼祥子

Serialized in 1936–37, it follows 祥子, a young peasant who pulls a rickshaw in Beiping, as Beijing was then called, and dreams of owning one. He buys one after three years of work, loses it to soldiers, and gets away with three camels, which earn him the nickname 骆驼 'Camel'. Each later hope is taken from him too, until he gives up and goes to ruin.

老舍 grew up in Beijing, and the novel is admired for its Beijing speech, full of local words and erhua. Its other great character is 虎妞, the rickshaw-yard owner's daughter who tricks Xiangzi into marrying her. The book is set reading in Chinese schools and has been filmed and staged many times.