Challenging transformation

Yet allowing greater foreign access to China's market has not been a one-sided success story for Perry. Transparency and the free flow of information in China's bilateral trade relations with the world saw London Export Corp's role as a go-between dwindle, and in the '90s the company had to fundamentally shift its business model from that of a trader to a deal adviser.

The transformation was not without its challenges.

"We found our own way, but it was painful," Perry said with a hint of sadness. "We didn't get enough briefing. I had hoped the Chinese foreign trade people would've taken more responsibility (to brief us). We had given all our lives to foreign trade."

London Export Corp eventually became a business and cultural exchange enabler. In 1978, Perry brought English soccer club West Bromwich Albion to Beijing to take on the "China XI", making them the first English team to play in the People's Republic of China.

In 2001, Perry also helped bring musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber to China. Jesus Christ Superstar was performed in Beijing in 2001, while Cats and Phantom of the Opera have also toured the country.

If Perry felt lonely on his early trading trips to China, that feeling is now gone. Many younger British businessmen and women aspire to follow in his footsteps by trading with China, and he enjoys sharing his personal experiences and tips, as well as his memories of the early days.