The Australian Centre on China in the World (CIW) is based at The Australian National University. Established in 2010 with funding from the Commonwealth Government, CIW aims to lead the world in innovative and cross-disciplinary research on China and to bring the humanities and social sciences into creative intellectual engagement.

At the same time tis role is to make its research and expertise available widely to government, business and the interest public.

The Centre invites members of the public to engage through a number of channels – with lectures, film series, documentaries and exhibitions open to both university students and the general public, and with its online publications

The Centre’s philosophy is that, in order to understand and engage with contemporary China, there is a need to appreciate its past and consider all of its complexities. Therefore, CIW takes a broad, holistic view and engage multidisciplinary expertise in areas including Chinese history, thought, culture, media, politics, society, gender, environment, economics, foreign policy, and regional affairs.

Alongside the fantastic scholarly work and research, CIW is committed to broad engagement with the many facets of contemporary culture and societies in the Asia – Pacific, using various forms of artworks and documentation to tell stories of a culture, and a region, the past and present.

Since 2013, the centre has organised regular ‘Asia and the Pacific Screens’ film series, which offer a fresh window on social realities, cultural transformations and creative imaginings from across Asia and the Pacific, through documentary and feature films made by some of the most entertaining, insightful and uncompromising filmmakers in our region. All films are screened at The Auditorium at the China in the World Building.

As China becomes an increasingly important trade and cultural partner for Australia, anyone interested is invited to visit CIW, or check out their website for upcoming events.

CIW partners with major national and overseas collaborators to present unique exhibitions with rich historical and cultural context in the CIW Gallery. The exhibitions that the centre offer are informative, creative and relevant to their cultural understanding and engagement. Oh, and the guided tours on special weekends are also a highlight!