MELBOURNE — In a meeting room at the Chinese Consulate General in Melbourne in May, a group of Australians recently recalled their visits to China with visible excitement: "I give the China trip 10 out of 10!" "I went twice, so I give it 20!"
From the modern dynamism of Chongqing and the historical charm of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, to the vibrant atmosphere of Changsha, Hunan province, the memories were still fresh.
"After returning from China, I no longer bother arguing with people about the country. I just tell them: go and see it for yourself," says Robert Barwick, national chairman of the Australian Citizens Party.
In October 2025, Barwick joined 18 other Australians from different sectors in a 21-day study and goodwill tour to China, organized by Richard Yuan, chairman of the Australia China Entrepreneurs Club. The delegation visited Haikou, Hainan province; Nanjing, Jiangsu province; Shanghai; Hangzhou, Zhejiang province; Shenzhen, Guangdong province; and several other Chinese cities.
From March to April, the delegation organized another visit to more Chinese cities.
During the trips, delegation members held in-depth discussions with local officials, visited high-tech companies, experienced China's medical services, and learned about the history of the Communist Party of China at the Museum of the Communist Party of China and the Site of the First National Congress of the CPC.
For John Lander, in his 80s and who served as Australia's deputy ambassador to China from 1974 to 1976, the trip was also a journey of rediscovery.
During his visit, Lander met Xia Boyu, a Chinese mountaineer who reached the summit of Mount Qomolangma despite having lost both legs. To Lander, Xia embodied the Chinese spirit — "stand, endure, and succeed".
Noelene Isherwood, co-founder of the Australian Citizens Party, says the China trip felt "like walking from a blizzard into a warm room". What impressed her most was the spirit of the Chinese people.
"They are fast-paced and optimistic," she says, adding that what stood out to her was the country's "happiness, unity and sense of purpose".
Her husband, Craig Isherwood, national secretary of the Australian Citizens Party, was struck by the growth of Chinese enterprises. He notes that many companies that began as start-ups two decades ago have, with government support, grown into multinational firms worth billions of dollars.
"China's market economy is for the benefit of the people," he says, rather than for the benefit of large corporations.
For business strategy consultant Antony Hing, the visit awakened a deeper connection with his Chinese heritage. After returning to Australia, he began reading the CPC regulations and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China.
Hing says the CPC always "thinks into the future" and he was amazed by "how focused China is on bringing its entire population into the era of modernization".
At the discussion, participants spoke at length about what they had seen and felt in China. Yuan says there was a huge gap between people's real experiences in China and the narratives often presented by Western media.
He says he was determined to continue organizing study and goodwill tours, so that more Australians could see China with their own eyes.
