In the second century BC the Emperor Hwang Ti is building the Great Wall of China "to hold up time and prevent all future.

They submit their knowledge of collapsing empires and cvilisations, world wars and atom bombs, but cannot prevent evil.

[7] Sterling read the script in the ABC's head office in Sydney and wanted to produce it on Australian television.

It was the first non-Australian play to have its world TV premiere in Melbourne during the past five years (that had been The Soldier's Tale starring Robert Helpmann directed by Sterling).

Playwright Frisch chose the Chinese Wall as an allegorical basic for his play because it is one of the world's oldest constructions still standing in more or less its original state.