This play is based on Arthur Miller's book Salesman in Beijing, an account of directing the 1983 Mandarin production of his play, Death of a Salesman, as well as on Claire Conceison and Ying Ruocheng's book Voices Carry: Behind the Scenes and Backstage During China's Cultural Revolution and Reform. The co-authors, Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy, are also life partners. Back in 2015 when they conceived the idea for the play, the authors were living in Richmond, BC, where Jovanni was Artistic Director of Gateway Theatre. At that time, there was an uneasy tension in Richmond because, in a short span of 25–30 years, the city had transformed from a mostly white community still connected to its agricultural roots into a sprawling suburb where 55% of its residents were of Chinese descent. So the notion of two very different cultures in collision was part of their everyday existence. Much like Ying, Leanna and Jovanni saw theatre as a vehicle for bringing people together. The authors hope this play will challenge xenophobia, the fear and blaming of “the other,” and those who think we are better off isolating ourselves from the rest of the world. The premiere production was internationally acclaimed, with rave reviews from across Canada and in the New York Post and Chicago Tribune, and glowing coverage in the South China Morning Post and on China News, as well as a nearly impossible 9.8 rating on the influential Chinese rating site Douban.