In general, drama historians deemed the Spring Willow Society's performance of the Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1907 in Tokyo as the beginning of modern Chinese drama. Hence Chinese art circle considers the adapted Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Toms Cabin (Heinu Yutiian Lu) as the first dramatic play in Chinese history, which indicated the beginning of modern Chinese drama. The play was adapted by Zeng Xiaogu.

In the spring of 1907, the Spring Willow Society performed the third act of Alexandre Dumas's famous play La Dame aux Camelias in Tokyo and Zeng Xiaogu was one leading actor. Inspired by the success of La Dame aux Camclias, the Spring Willow Society members before long adapted Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Toms Cabin into a play and put it on the stage after a lot of hard work on revision done by Zeng Xiaogu.

Reflecting the oppressed people's rebellious spirit, the play was very realistic in content. The division of the play into acts, telling the story with dialogues and activities plus true-to-life stage characters, confirmed the birth of an unprecedented dramatic form in China. Later, this form was labeled modern Chinese drama.