Although the first European rendering of a Chinese play occurred in 1735, translation of Chinese drama into Western languages has remained a spasmodic, occasional activity. Providing a much needed introduction to the magnitude, range, and quality of Chinese drama, William Dolby's Eight Chinese Plays translates works ranging from an early yuanben play attributed to Lin Tangquing to an anonymous mid-1950s regional play, Identifying Footprints in the Snow.