Subscribe to free Email Newsletter

In general, drama historians deemed the Spring Willow Society's performance of theUncle Tom's Cabinin 1907 inTokyoas the beginning of modern Chinese drama. Hence Chinese art circle considers the adapted Harriet Beecher Stowe'sUncle Toms Cabin (Heinu Yutiian Lu)as the first dramatic play in Chinese history, which indicated the beginning ofmodern Chinese drama. The play was adapted by Zeng Xiaogu.

In the spring of 1907, the Spring Willow Society performed the third act of Alexandre Dumas's famous playLa Dame aux CameliasinTokyoand Zeng Xiaogu was one leading actor. Inspired by the success ofLa Dame aux Camclias, the Spring Willow Society members before long adapted Harriet Beecher Stowe'sUncle Toms Cabininto a play and put it on the stage after a lot of hard work on revision done by Zeng Xiaogu.

Reflecting the oppressed people's rebellious spirit, the play was very realistic in content. The division of the play into acts, telling the story with dialogues and activities plus true-to-life stage characters, confirmed the birth of an unprecedented dramatic form inChina. Later, this form was labeled modern Chinese drama.