Colin Mackerras and his Beiwai students in Beijing.

"I bought a lot of gramophone (Peking Opera) records then, which I still have incidentally. I collected books about it I'm a great admirer of Mei Lanfeng," he says.

But it wasn't so simple. Back then while on a scholarship offered by the Australian Liberal Menzies Government, China was still eyed suspiciously from a "cold war" perspective. He recounted that one of the popular political election images of those days was of red arrows flying down from China, bound for Australian shores.

Fortunately, at his mother's encouragement, who felt China was going to be integral to both Australia's and the world's future development, he took the plunge and his life began to change. Before long he was studying for his master's at Cambridge University, completing his thesis on the Uygur minority during the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Then, while at a Cambridge market one day, he ran into a fellow student who was heading to China to teach and Mackerras suggested that he pass along his name in case another opportunity came up - which it did. But it wasn't just Mackerras who was coming out to China. The year before, he had just got married and an invitation later followed from the Beijing Foreign Languages University, or Beiwai, so he and his wife both made their way over to teach for two years starting in 1964.

Their son was born at the Friendship Hospital, in Beijing and shares the unique distinction of being the first Australian to have been born in New China. His son Stephen was to also develop a fascination with China and all things Asian and himself came to teach out at Beiwai just last year.

Thus from the early days of becoming a father and completing his master's thesis, in many ways the Middle Kingdom has become his life work. Since his trip he's now visited almost 50 times! "I've authored a dozen or so books, as for edited books 20-25 and as for scholarly articles and chapters of books about 70 or 80."

The first book he wrote was titled, China Observed, which he co-authored with a friend about their experiences from 1964-66. And for his love - Peking Opera, "I wrote my PhD thesis on it - On the rise of the Peking Opera, it was called." More than that, he's written several books about Chinese operas.

Now having just completed another semester at Beiwai, Mackerras is amazed and positive at all the changes that have taken place since those early years. "The first time I came I had to get my passport - there was a sign at the front saying not valid for the PRC, Cuba, North Vietnam and North Korea - I had to get it especially made valid for the PRC. So it was much more closed off than it is now, much, much more. It's a different world in that sort of way."

One of his books, entitled, The Western Images of China, seeks to unravel such thoughts held by outsiders and place them in context with the realities he has experienced at a ground level. "Well I think the Western images are much more negative than they should be," he says. "But over the 40 years I've been coming here, I've seen improvements in economy, in the level of freedom, in the social interactions, in the relationships."

And on a cold morning in January walking through Beijing's Friendship Hotel he pointed out the room where he first boarded over 40 years ago. Memories started flooding back as he opened the window to a cherished past. "The students were very polite, hard working, and respectful to me. They were very cheerful. I mean I thought they were very good students. I liked them a lot."

Reflecting, he went on to mention that the first time Chinese students came to Australia to study after the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) wasn't until the late 1970s. Compare this to today where almost 2 million Chinese have gone to study abroad and likewise where increasing numbers of foreigners are now also coming to the Middle Kingdom for work, study and travel.

The cover of Mackerras' book.

In many respects the beneficiaries of this situation owe thanks to bridge-building pioneers like Mackerras. Now an Emeritus Professor at Queensland's Griffith University he has been decorated with the title of Officer of the Order of Australia for his contribution to education and the promotion of Australia-China relations.

The other week he returned home though he is already planning a return study field trip to the remote regions of the ancient Silk Road in the latter months of 2009. And of course he's also working on another book, this time with an old student of his about Xinjiang and Central Asia.

Before leaving he managed to grab a glimpse of a recent production of Peking Opera Red Cliff. Looking a little guilty as if having his hand caught in the cookie jar, he confesses: "I don't know where the difference is between work and play. I spend a lot of my time on work related activities."