As is widely acknowledged,the very first foreign language translation of Chinese drama occurred in 1735 when Du Halde(1674-1743)published Prémare’s(1666-1736)French version of Tchao-chi-cou-eulh,ou l’Orphelin de la Maison de Tchao in his Description de l’empire de la Chine.1 Mutilated as the rendition was,for Prémare did not take pains to translate all the singing parts into French,it did usher in a Sino-Western theatrical exchange which reached its peak in times of“Chinoiserie”when Voltaire’s highly influential adaptation The Orphan of China was staged in 1755.In the following century,this tradition and practice of translating Chinese drama was carried on by Julien(1797-1873)and Bazin(1799-1863),and by virtue of their efforts,many more Chinese plays were showcased to Europeans.
