My host, the telegraph Manager Pen, and his two friends Liu and Yeh, were given an improvised seat of honour outside my window, and here they sat all day and sipped tea and cracked jokes.

No actresses were on the stage; the female parts were taken by men whose make-up was admirable, and who imitated, with curious fidelity, the voice and gestures of women.

The dresses were rich and varied.

Scene-shifters, band, supers, and friends remained on the stage during the performance, dodging about among the actors.

There is no drop curtain in a Chinese theatre, and all scenes are changed on the open stage before you.