During the development of Chinese drama, it was some Chinese diplomats who made the first contacts with western drama during their visits to western countries. They watched some western plays partly because they attended diplomatic receptions and partly out of pure curiosity.
Evidently, they were fascinated by such fresh and original performances and showed special interest in the following things. First, they took great delight in discussing the grand theaters, saying, they are as grand as an imperial palace. Second, they were surprised at the enviable high social status enjoyed by western playwrights and performers -- "in England they are called artists, unlike Chinese actors who are living at the lower social stratum", and "their reputation and social status are comparable to princes or their peers". Third, they were deeply impressed by the true-to-life stage settings of western drama -- "the audience feel as if they are personally present on the scene and can hardly believe this is what actually happens in the world". Fourth, they emphasized or overstated the social functions of western drama. Take France as an example, according to them, after France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, the French government raised a lot of funds to build theaters "with a view to inspiring the French people to take revenge".
It should be pointed out that in the late 19th century and the early 20th century when western drama burst into China, the traditional Chinese drama was also experiencing an impact from innovation and revolution. Dissatisfied with the antiquated dramatic forms that could not fully mirror the then social realities, many persons who engaged in the performance and research of Chinese drama at the time launched a campaign of dramatic reform, and "new drama concerning current affairs" developed as a result of this effort.
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