Chinese to try-before-buy prestige home packages to escape dehumanising homeland

Over the past year a record 953,200 tourists came to Australia from China, up 19.6% over the year.

Tourists from China and Hong Kong rose to a record 1,165,600 over the past year.

Australia's number one tourist group remains New Zealand who totalled 1,286,900 visitors over the past year, but that was up just 4.9%.

The figures come as a Sydney estate agency mooted a summer rental stunt that would see 20 Chinese millionaires "trying" Sydney mansions before buying them. 

The Chinese property and lifestyle concierge Monika Tu claimed she will place these Chinese nationals from five Shanghai high-net worth families into palatial homes around Sydney at the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations in early February 2016.

They will stay initially for between one month and six months. 

She suggested with each having at least $10 million to spare, the group will bring more than $200 million into Australia to spend on property and other investments. 

"These high-net worth Chinese individuals are looking for a real life experience of what life would be like in Australia. They want to be introduced to schools for their children... even put their children into some kind of holiday school program as an initial try-out," Ms Tu told the Australian Financial Review. 

"They also want to find investment advisers and find out how to set up a business here."

These are not your average Chinese rich people, Ms Tu added. 

"Our new neighbours are not simply relocating just for our beaches," Ms Tu suggested.

"Many Chinese parents are becoming more open-minded and believe their own system [is] possibly corrupt and at times dehumanising, hence many of them look to the West for answers."

The plans are to house the 20 within walking distance in expensive Sydney suburbs such as Bellevue Hill in the east and Palm Beach on the northern beaches.

Some have expressed interest in the more affordable northern Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest.