This play, intended for middle school and high school students, uses the historical events of the Macartney mission to China from 1792-94 to illustrate the problems that can occur when different cultures interact. The play describes the first major encounter in which government officials representative of the European Enlightenment come face to face with the leadership of the legendary Chinese empire. This one-act play includes three major characters on the British side, three major characters on the Chinese side, and the interpreter. It presents an encounter between differing global interpretive and managerial systems: Imperial Confucianism with its theories about the Mandate of Heaven, and the European enlightenment perspective, as defined by Adam Smith. Questions and outcomes are included for study, as well as seven student projects. (BT)