Half a century of China watching

When he first arrived, he was one of very few Australians in China. Fifty years later, China is his country's top trading partner and his second home. He tells Mei Jia how he has documented the progress.

Colin Mackerras has chalked up many firsts in China from the time he first set foot in the country in 1960s to his current reputation as probably one of the most influential specialists on China affairs.

One of the first Australians to follow Asian Studies with a special focus on China, Mackerras started his connection with the Middle Kingdom in the 1950s.