Victoria is Australia’s home of culture. Understanding, sharing, and celebrating different cultures is a trademark of Victoria’s proudly multicultural society. Since the gold rushes of the 1800s, Victoria has been shaped by global influences that have helped establish our inclusive cultural identity. Today, our ties extend across the world through family, friends, colleagues, and alumni.
Victoria is home to a thriving arts sector, internationally renowned events and festivals, more live music venues per capita than any other city, and museums, libraries, galleries, and theatres across the State. Victoria is the national leader in visual and performing arts and Melbourne is recognised for its rich, innovative, and diverse publishing sector as a UNESCO City of Literature. Our cultural institutions are amongst the oldest and most visited in Australia. Victoria also proudly celebrates the creative, cultural and artistic practices, and heritage of First Peoples – the oldest continuous culture in the world.
Victoria and China share a rich history of cultural exchange, nurturing a strong, collaborative and reciprocal friendship. For more than 200 years, Victorians of Chinese heritage have made a significant contribution to Victoria’s economic, social, and cultural development, while strengthening important people-to-people links with China. The Chinese concept of ‘guanxi’ emphasises the importance of these ties, where trusted personal connections developed over time can be an important precursor to collaborations, partnerships, and long-term outcomes.
Chinese culture, both traditional and contemporary, has enriched both its own society and other cultures across the globe. China is home to 59 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the second most of any country in the world, and its diverse range of regional cuisines are savoured and celebrated internationally. It is the origin of world-famous traditional art forms including calligraphy, ceramics, opera, and martial arts, and the fireworks and dragon dances of the Spring Festival are instantly recognisable all around the world.
Longstanding partnerships have led to deeper cultural exchange with China across Victoria. Victoria’s sister-state relationship with Jiangsu Province was established in 1979 – the first for Jiangsu and the oldest of its kind in Australia. More recently, Victoria’s newest sister-state relationship with Sichuan Province is Australia’s first in China’s fast-developing west. 20 Victorian towns or regions hold sister-city relationships in China, engaging in important economic and cultural exchange right across our State. Chinese national, subnational, and municipal governments are deeply integrated, and through close collaboration between all levels of government in Victoria, we can create robust, enduring, and outcome-driven partnerships with Chinese cities and provinces. Victoria’s leading cultural institutions also hold strategic partnership agreements with their Chinese counterparts, offering key platforms for enduring cultural exchange.
Melbourne: UNESCO City of Literature
Geelong: UNESCO City of Design
Ballarat: UNESCO City of Craft and Folk Art
Bendigo: UNESCO City of Gastronomy
Contemporary Chinese culture is heavily influenced by a unique combination of its embedded traditions and rapid modernisation. Cultural exchange between Victoria and China is an opportunity to understand and celebrate each other’s unique histories and traditions, while blending this with a more modern appreciation for our societies today.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and China’s National Centre for Performing Arts recently conducted a digital performance exchange, broadcasting performances on each other’s streaming platforms to reach both Chinese and Victorian audiences.
The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is also improving accessibility for Chinese visitors through its Community Ambassadors program, with multilingual international students volunteering to welcome visitors and support a range of NGV programs and activities in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
While political and economic contexts can change, cultural and personal ties are enduring and provide important foundations to our longstanding relationship. The Victorian Government is committed to reciprocal cultural engagement and opportunities for shared cultural experiences here and in China.
Victoria-China cultural partnerships
| The Australian Ballet | National Ballet of China |
| Melbourne Symphony Orchestra | Sichuan Symphony Orchestra National Centre for Performing Arts Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra |
| National Gallery of Victoria | The Palace Museum Shaanxi History Museum Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum |
| Museums Victoria | Nanjing Museum Capital Museum Shanghai Science and Technology Museum |
| State Library of Victoria | Nanjing Public Library Sichuan Public Library |
Case studies
Museum of Chinese Australian History
The Museum of Chinese Australian History sits in the heart of Melbourne’s China Town, where it has celebrated Chinese-Australian history, heritage and culture for the last 40 years. The Museum promotes people-to-people links, showcasing the deep-rooted ties between both communities as a springboard to a long-term meaningful and prosperous future. The One Million Stories exhibition is a permanent installation at the Museum, showcasing stories of Chinese Migration, from more than 200 years ago when the first Chinese migrants arrived in Australia until the present day. This exhibition has toured Nanjing, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Chengdu from 2020 to 2023.
Our Story is the first ever historical account of the relationship between First Nations and Chinese people in Australia. An exhibition at the Museum and a book, it brings together personal accounts, oral histories, historical photographs, and archival documents alongside works from eight contemporary artists of Aboriginal and Chinese descent, tracing the legacy from the gold rush and colonial settlement to today. The exhibition is at the National Museum of Australia until early 2026, before touring China once again.
The Museum and the Australian Consulate General in Guangzhou have partnered to create an exhibition for Southern China: Shared Connections – Cantonese Stories in Australia – to be staged in late 2025.
The Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet is based in the heart of the Melbourne Arts Precinct in Southbank.
The Australian Ballet has, over 45 years of experience working in China and with Chinese partners, built enduring connections with dancers and dance lovers, bringing joy and inspiration to audiences across the country.
Through nine tours to China, The Australian Ballet has forged partnerships with some of China’s best known and loved ballet institutions, including the National Ballet of China, the Shanghai Ballet, Shanghai Performing Arts Festival, and the National Centre for Performing Arts Dance Festival. These connections have seen opportunities for The Australian Ballet to perform in world class venues, showcasing Australian talent on the global stage. These links have also provided the foundation for exchange and professional development opportunities for dancers and those working behind the scenes.
Goals and actions
Goal 1 | Goal 2 | Goal 3 |
Victoria is a partner of choice for cross-cultural collaboration with China | Victoria and China benefit from enhanced cultural understanding and shared cultural experiences | Cultural institutions develop new content and reach new audiences through digital platforms |
Action 1 | Action 2 | Action 3 |
Promote and celebrate the history and contribution of Chinese Victorians through cultural exchanges | Support cultural, creative and educational institutions to attract and develop new cultural experiences, reach new audiences, and provide skills development opportunities | Strengthen existing and facilitate new local government partnerships in China to support people-to-people, economic, and cultural exchanges |
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