Lao She’s play Teahouse (茶馆) is set in the Yutai teahouse in Beijing, run by the manager Wang Lifa. The first act takes place in 1898. On the wall hangs a slip of paper: 莫谈国事, “Do not discuss state affairs.”
The play follows the teahouse from 1898 into the 1940s. In each act, the slip of paper on the wall grows larger. Beijing People’s Art Theatre first staged the play on March 29, 1958.