BRISBANE Lions forward Aaron Cornelius says the club's trip to Shanghai is the perfect escape from what has been a tumultuous couple of months.

Since the end of the 2010 season, Michael Rischitelli (Gold Coast), Jared Brennan (Gold Coast) and Justin Sherman (Western Bulldogs) have left, while Brendan Fevola was indefinitely suspended upon police investigation of claims made against him by a woman.

The club made a significant number of staff changes after conducting an internal review into a season which produced three wins after round four, while contract negotiations with key players also drew much scrutiny.

Cornelius said the visit to China - to play an exhibition match against Melbourne on Sunday afternoon - couldn't have come at a better time.

"We've all stuck together and we're going to enjoy each other's company," Cornelius told afl.com.au from Shanghai.

"Melbourne have had the wood over us so we've got to take the opportunity to try and turn things around and have a good game.

"It's definitely about team bonding because this is a group that we want to go forward with and we don't want any more changes."

Cornelius said he was pleased to have Fevola return to the group after he was temporarily banished and his mere presence lifted the players around him.

"Fev's been great since he got back. I play a similar role to Fev and Browny (Jonathan Brown) so I have a bit to do with those guys," he said.

"I've enjoyed their company and he (Fevola) has certainly been high-spirited and the boys have welcomed him back.

"Fev's a really likable guy. He's got into a bit of trouble along the way but we all enjoy his company and there are certainly no issues with anyone here. He's certainly loved."

Cornelius admitted the defection of Rischitelli, Brennan and Sherman would hurt the Lions but that the club had enough resolve to cope.

"It was a little bit disappointing to lose the guys that did go. That's their decisions to move on with their footy careers. We wish them the best. It was disappointing because there were a few guys there who were big factors in our team," he said.

As for his travels through China, Cornelius said there were a few culture shocks that he was still getting his head around.

"It's been fantastic so far. I haven't travelled that much myself so to get out of Australia and experience a different culture is pretty good. There are quite a few people around so it's very busy," he said.

"The internet restrictions are quite different. There's no Facebook or anything like that so a few of the younger boys are starting to get a bit of an itch because they can't get on. It's certainly interesting."

The Kaspersky Cup, AFL Shanghai Showdown, will be played at the Jiangwan Sports Centre in Shanghai, starting at 2.10pm local time (5.10pm AEDT).