TV hostess Yang Lan (left) and Australian Ambassador to China Jan Adams attend a ceremony marking the start of Australian Writers Week at the Australian embassy in Beijing on March 20.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Koh has also read some Chinese literature. From her perspective, some Chinese writers' realistic work gives her the impression that China is a country that experiences, or has experienced, great extremes - as a place of not only great opportunity and wealth, but also of poverty and struggle. Compared to Chinese literature, many Australian fiction writers come from the middle class, so they often write about the Australian landscape, or take a micro-realist approach that focuses on small changes in relationships between characters.

Simsion's The Rosie Project was recommended by Bill Gates, and boasts international sales in excess of 3.5 million copies. The novel follows genetics professor, Don Tillman, who devises a questionnaire to assess the suitability of his potential female partners. Everything changes for him, however, when he meets Rosie, who does not fit many of his criteria, but to whom he is strangely drawn.

Gleitzman is the current Australian Children's Laureate.

"I usually write stories about young people who are faced with huge challenges in their life so that they have to go on a scary journey. They have to develop a variety of personal qualities during the journey, but it turns out to be a very important experience in their life," says Gleitzman.

Fidler is a well-known presenter on ABC Radio. He also publishes books that combine history and traveling. He is quite interested in history and always feels "thrilled" to touch the ancient world. He says getting the opportunity to visit the Forbidden City "electrified" him.

TV hostess Yang Lan was named an "ambassador of Australian literature" in 2019 and attended the ceremony marking the start of Australian Writers Week, which was held at the Australian embassy in Beijing on the evening of March 20.

"I always encourage my community to expand their horizons so that they will understand themselves and the world better, and become more tolerant, understanding and appreciative of each other," says Yang.