As the director of The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Dr. Wang Xiaoying states, this Black Swan/National Theatre of China production collaboration is 'an ancient Chinese story, written by a classic German playwright, performed by an Australian troupe', and is a 'collision and fusion of different cultures'. This cross-cultural engagement goes even further, extending to the musicians, designers, and production staff.

The attempt to create a theatrical blending of cultures is the most interesting and fascinating aspect of this collaboration between Australia and China. A great deal of money and effort has gone into this production; fourteen government agencies, sponsors, and philanthropic groups have supported it. As successful as this 'collision and fusion' appears to be on the diplomatic or business stage, its success on the performance stage was less clear.