元朝劇作家紀君祥的雜劇《趙氏孤兒》在十八世紀開中國戲劇西傳之先河，也揭開了歐洲對該劇一連串改編的序幕，譜就中西跨文化戲劇交流最璀璨的一頁。1732年旅華法國耶穌會傳教士馬若瑟（Joseph de Prémare，1666-1736）首譯《趙氏孤兒》為法文，並於1735年另一位法國耶穌會士杜赫德 （Du Halde，1674-1743）出版的《中國通誌》第三卷中正式在法國刊行。在對中國的認識臻於高峰的十八世紀，歐洲文學界莫不引頸企盼能認識一個完整的中國文學作品，《趙氏孤兒》的法文譯本象徵了歐陸文學界終於得以擺脫十八世紀初期藉種種穿鑿附會、胡亂拼湊為噱頭的中國風戲劇。這個貨真價實的中國戲劇不僅讓歐洲的中國熱再度沸燃，也促成中國戲劇在十八世紀西方最大規模的改編潮。短短十多年間，歐洲誕生了共三個改編本 （英國、義大利及法國改編本各一）。本文嘗試從紀君祥的原劇出發，不僅陳述《趙氏孤兒》在當時歐洲各國改編的盛況並聚焦十八世紀義大利最重要的歌劇劇本作家梅塔斯塔奇奧（Pietro Metastasio，1698-1782）於1752年取材《趙氏孤兒》完成的歌劇《中國英雄》（L'eroe cinese），希望能從這個義大利改編本中梳理出饒富興味的跨文化內涵。
This paper aims to explore the biggest intercultural adaptation current during the second half of eighteenth century, whereby the Chinese play ＂Zhaoshiguer＂ (The Orphan of Zhao) became the first Chinese play to be translated into any European language. The Jesuit father Joseph Henri Marie de Prémare translated the play, which he titled ＂L'Orphelin de la Maison de Tchao＂, into French in 1731. Another Jesuit Jean Baptiste Du Halde published it in his ＂Description Géographique＂, ＂Historique＂, ＂Chronologique＂, ＂Politique et Physique de l'Empire de la Chine et de la Tartarie Chinois＂ in 1735. Prémare's translation would soon be translated into English for two distinct English editions of Du Halde's book, which appeared in 1736 and 1741 respectively. The story then caught the imagination of European minds at a time when ＂chinoiserie＂ was in vogue and this translation was the basis for adaptations over the next few decades. The relative success of ＂Zhaoshiguer＂ may also be seen to be related to the status of the original text in Chinese. Yuan drama has not gone out of fashion in China or in Western Sinological circles; as the earliest form of Chinese drama extant, it is a well studied genre and a ‘must’ in survey courses of Chinese literature. In 1741, William Hatchett wrote and published the earliest adaptation of the play, which was in English; it was titled The Chinese Orphan: An Historical Tragedy In 1752, the Italian librettist Pietro Metastasio composed ＂L'eroe cinese＂, a three-act dramatic poem, for Empress Maria Theresa. The particular appropriation of China in ＂L'eroe cinese＂ emerges most clearly when one examines the work as a patriarch opera, that is, as a drama that showcases the beneficent character and actions of an elder male protagonist. Although Metastasio's poem had often received negative criticism due to its simple plot, these characteristics correspond virtually with the core values of the original Chinese play.