ABSTRACT
Beginning in 1918, he used vernacular Chinese to write short stories bearing devastating criticism of traditional culture. These were assembled in the collections, Nahan (Outcry, also translated as "Call to Arms" and "Cheering from the Sidelines," 1923), and Panghuang (Wondering, 1926). The text below, with its often cited metaphor of China as an iron prison house that suffocates those who live in it, was originally published as the preface to the first volume. Between 1918 and 1936, the author published many more volumes of essays and translations.
