With GB Shaw at his Writing Hut, 1946

Posted: November 12th, 2021 | No Comments »

Just saw this photo the other day, which is on display at Shijia Hutong Museum in Beijing. It’s George Bernard (GB) Shaw on the step of his somewhat unique writing hut at his home Shaw’s Corner in Hertfordshire, just outside London. With him is the Chinese novelist Gu Yuxiu (left) and Professor and author Chen Xiying (Yuan Chen, husband of Ling Shuhua). They had arrived in England in 1945 and a visit to Shaw was de rigueur for visiting Chinese intellectuals. I’m sure they admired Shaw’s hut, which you can still see as Shaw’s Corner, and the writing hut, are now maintained by the National Trust. What made the hut sort of unique was that it was mounted on a revolving mechanism so that as he worked, Shaw could follow the sun throughout the day. Tucked away behind trees, this is the place where many of his plays were written.

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