Professor Ma Hong is the current Director, Department of Public Mental Health, Institute of Mental Health, Peking University. Ma Hong is a key figure in the national mental health reform which is underway as a result of the Government of China investing 3.7 billion into its more than 200 public health programs including 6,860,000 RMB into mental health training in 2005. There have been other productive visits, successful projects and rich collaborations between Ma Hong’s Institute of Mental Health and Asia Australia Mental Health. The Australian Leadership Award Fellowship was able to build on the strength of this relationship between the 2 countries, expand the friendship, and add depth and meaning to the partnership. With this Fellowship, Ma Hong was able to visit Goulburn Valley Mental Health, Shepparton and had a unique exposure to the strategies used in Australian rural areas to support national and state government mental health initiatives, in the light of particular rural issues such as health disparities, access, partnerships, health literacy and impact of chronic and acute environmental conditions.