The stage production of Four Generations Under One Roof (Si Shi Tong Tang/四世同堂) was originally written as a novel by Lao She (老舍).

The drama depicts life for a Chinese family in Beijing during the time of Japanese occupation of Northeast China (aka Manchuria).

The name of the play is often translated as The Yellow Storm.

Lao She (1899-1966) has been affectionately called the People’s Artist in China and is considered one of the best Chinese novelists and playwrights of the post Literary Reform era.

Lao She lived in Qingdao on Huangxian Lu in the early 1930’s, which is where wrote Camel Xiangzi (駱駝祥子) aka Rickshaw Boy.

Today there is a museum at his former home in Qingdao to commemorate the author and his work.

Relevant Links:
Lao She Bio
Four Generations Under One Roof in Beijing