M. Butterfly is the representative work of Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang. The play is based on a true story about Shi Pei Pu, an opera singer and a spy living in Peking(present day Beijing). In 1986, Shi approached French diplomat Bernard Boursicot disguised as a woman to obtain confidential information from him. Similarly, the play follows the 20-year relationship between French diplomat René Gallimard , a French diplomat, and opera singer Song Liling. Drawing inspiration from Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, Hwang’s acclaimed play denounces the West’s stereotypes about the East, particularly those of Asian women, while extensively exploring human desire.