Clarke's Chinese-themed documentaries include In My Eyes, a story about China's first known blind global backpacker Cao Shengkang. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Once I got into the countryside, the locals were shocked and surprised at the unusual sight－in those days, my hair was still brown and I have blue eyes－yet, they were so incredibly kind and hospitable to me.

"I never saw anyone unemployed. Everyone seemed to be working really hard, and it was very clear to me that if somehow all this energy could be harnessed and driven in the right direction, China would become a country with colossal potential," he says.

Clarke was disappointed when ABC aborted the production of the documentary due to changes in the relationship between China and the United States, but nearly 30 years after his first Chinese tour, Clarke returned to the country in 2013 to direct Better Angels, a documentary suggested by former US secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, and Nobel Prize-winning economist, Robert Mundell.

Directed by Clarke and coproduced by American producer William Mundell and Chinese producer Han Yi, the documentary－which looks into the future of China and the US through the eyes of ordinary people in the two countries－took nearly five years to complete.

As well as Better Angels, which is scheduled for release in China and the US in November, Clarke has also recently produced another Chinese-themed documentary, In My Eyes. Directed by Han Yi, the feature film follows the journey of Cao Shengkang, China's first known blind global backpacker－who has traveled alone to 34 countries on five continents.

Speaking about modern China, Clarke acknowledges that the country has completely changed since his first visit three decades ago, and Beijing has become an impressive international metropolis full of hope and opportunity.