The Beginning of Western Expatriate Theatre in China and Its Pioneering Role in Late Qing Dynasty Innovation of Chinese Opera
In the grand narrative of the emergence of modern Chinese drama,academia often focuses on the in-fluence path opened by the"Spring Willow Society,"which was influenced by Japanese"Shingeki"and"New Drama"movements.Less attention has been paid to the Western drama directly introduced by West-ern expatriates from their colonial motherlands before this period.Furthermore,previous historical studies and academic researches on Western expatriate performers and performances in China mainly focus on treaty ports established after the Opium War such as Shanghai,Guangzhou.Recent discoveries reveal that the Western expatriates,primarily from the East India Company,had already conducted theatrical perfor-mances in Macao before the Opium War,foreshadowing the introduction and acceptance of modern West-ern drama in China.After the Opium War,with the opening of coastal trading ports in China,Western ex-patriates,mainly from Britain and America,introduced drama activities and Western modern dramas to these regions.This introduction of modern Western drama and the innovation of Chinese opera in the Late Qing Dynasty heralds the birth of modern Chinese drama.
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