4. The Teahouse
《茶馆》
Playwrights: Lao She
Premiered in 1958
Consisting of three acts, the play depicts stories taking place in the Beijing Yutai Teahouse and the fate of Wang Lifa, the owner of the teahouse, and a group of his associates. It mirrors the great social changes in China from 1898 to the 1940s through three major historical periods, including the days after the Hundred Days' Reform in 1898, the warlord's separatist period and the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.
The Teahouse is also the first Chinese drama production to be performed overseas.