Beijing People's Art Theatre is considered the cradle of Chinese drama. Since its establishment in 1952 there have been numerous breakthrough artists coming from this stage and actively contributing to the development of Chinese arts. It was in 1907 that Chinese artists put on the first western play in China and since then the trend has grown. China's modern theatre is called: Hua Ju (spoken drama) and many Chinese professionals have devoted their lives to developing the art.  Beijing People's Art Theatre, a first-rate national theatre company of China, has brought many masterpieces to its stage and continues to be a pioneer in the development of Chinese modern theatre.