This book is a short history of the Australia-China Council (ACC), commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to celebrate the Council's 40th anniversary in 2018. The first chapter is a broad history and the remainder of the book is structured according to the Council's themes of economic diplomacy, education, Australian studies in China, and arts and culture.

It draws on archival material and interviews to depict the role of the ACC in improving relations between China and Australia, dovetailing with China's reform and opening period which began in 1978. It covers the success and challenges experienced by the Council over this time. Through the stories presented in this book, readers will gain a sense of the breadth of exchanges and projects over the past four decades, and see how the ACC has been integral in making the two countries more familiar to each other.