The present paper begins by describing the difference between "text" and "performance" in historical narrative in terms of type and theory. It then proceeds to investigate how the narrative of "Zhao's Orphan" developed through such texts as the Zuo zhuan, Shi ji and Ji ju, following the narrative's progression from a chroniclenarrative in the Zuo zhuan to an event-title in the "Zhao's House" section of the Shi ji. In the latter work, it is found that "plot" and "new story" were treated as two distince concepts. The investigation focuses on two major issues:1) how "Zhao's Orphan" developed historically and emerged as a form and title in the Ji ju; 2) how its narrative base and dominant consciousness influenced later readers of the Zuo zhuan and Shi ji. In addition, the paper also addresses such questions ass: 1)how the title-discourse of "Zhao's Orphan" takes on different forms in the various historical texts; 2) when and h ow "Zhao's Orphan," in terms of performance, transformed from "dramatic plot" into "drama"; 3) the difference between the adaptation of the chronicle-narrative in the Zuo zhuan into the story in the Shi ji and the adaptation of the story in the Shi ji into drama; 4) how "text" and "performance" are similar and different, and what point of departure to take in exploring this issue. Furthermore, the author also examines the person Zhuang Ji, both as a historical figure and literary character, using the treatment of Zhuang Ji in the Zuo zhuan, Shi ji, Ji ju and "Qiu's Performance" to explore the opposition between "written text" and "visual text." In conclusion, the author reexamines the age-old question "What is historical drama," discussing the features of history and drama from the perspective of "appropriation of history" in order to open up the possibility of new perspectives in historical theory.