On Dec 2, 1956, novelist and dramatist Lao She (1899-1966) arrived at the Capital Theater, home of the Beijing People's Art Theater, for a reading of the script of a play he had just finished writing, titled Teahouse.

Codirected by Jiao Juyin (1905-75) and Xia Chun (1918-66), the play premiered on March 29, 1958, and was warmly received by the audience.

Since then, Teahouse has been performed by the Beijing People's Theater over 700 times, both at home and abroad, and is considered as a treasure of the theater in China.