Open World was commissioned by the State Government of Victoria as a gift to the Nanjing Library to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Victoria's sister-state relationship with China's Jiangsu province. It was designed by leading Chinese-born Australian artist, John Young, and features Chinese calligraphy and references to Aboriginal and Chinese culture and the Victorian landscape. The background of the tapestry is based on a reversed image of a 16th century Chinese silk tapestry which depicts foreigners bearing gifts to the Chinese monarch.