First published in China in 1937, Rickshaw Boy is the story of Xiangzi, an honest, serious country boy, who works as a rickshaw puller in Beiping (the name of Beijing at the time of the story). Xiangzi is a man of simple needs-his great ambition is to one day buy his own rickshaw and keep his earnings for himself. After a few years of grueling work, Xiangzi realizes his dream, only to be captured by renegade soldiers and have his prize possession and livelihood seized. He escapes captivity, taking with him three camels, which he sells to return to the city and start from scratch.

But Xiangzi’s troubles do not end there, as it seems as though he is thwarted in all his attempts to improve his lot in life. He is seduced by the ugly daughter of the rickshaw shed from whom he rents a rickshaw; his savings are taken from him by an unscrupulous detective; he is tricked into marrying the ugly daughter, who becomes pregnant and then, along with the unborn baby, dies; and the young prostitute whom he loves hangs herself out of a sense of shame and despair. In the end, Xiangzi, beaten down by forces beyond his control, becomes a petty thief, an informer, and a down-and-out loafer, the wreckage of a philosophy of individualism.