The weight of history underlying this monumental occasion was probably best summed up seven minutes before full-time. Ai Kesen, a Brazilian-born striker who became the first footballer of non-Chinese heritage to play for China, received exuberant high-fives from each and every one of his teammates after netting his first goal on his international debut. He then ran the entire length of the pitch to celebrate with the ecstatic Chinese fans in the away end, reveling in their applause and admiration.

There have been times in recent months when head coach Marcello Lippi's decision to pin his hopes on Ai Kesen – originally known as Elkeson – had felt dodgy. Given some of the negative comments about Ai when he was granted Chinese citizenship and cleared the final hurdles on the way to represent China, cynics are struggling to come to terms with the latest trend in sports. But there's no denying that Lippi and this team needed the Guangzhou Evergrande star to hit the ground running, adapting instantly in his newfound surroundings.

In that context, this was a night of promise. It was an encouraging sight as Ai sang his pre-match national anthem "March of the Volunteers" with such gusto and earnest joy. And it is dangerous to draw too many conclusions from the 5-0 thumping of lowly-ranked Maldives in their opening World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. 

But China, so heart broken by a long and humiliating history of calamitous performances at World Cup qualifiers, had cried out for some hope on which to cling. Ai, as much with his killer instinct and link-up play with Wu Lei as the morale-boosting tackles he masterfully executed to prevent a potentially lethal counter-attack from the opponents, duly provided plenty.

Some of Ai's resourcefulness at the latter stages of the encounter was a joy to behold, all refined one-touch passing and intelligent movement off the ball to leave the away supporters cooing at his ingenuity. Wu Xi, Wu Lei and Yang Xu had put China 3-0 up by that point, thanks in no small part to Ai's constant probing and quick changes of direction that terrified defenders. The only thing missing was a goal and that duly arrived in the 83rd minute as he calmly rifled home a penalty after Wei Shihao, who was in imperious form coming off the bench, was hacked down in the box.

Maldives always knew the difficulty of the task at hand when facing China and as Lippi's side turned on the style, they were surely unable to conjure a repeat of 2001's respectable 1-0 loss to the same adversary. For the hosts, the worst was still to come though.

Despite enjoying a huge advantage, China refused to take the foot off the pedal and continued to swarm all over their opponents, playing with the confidence and swagger that was rarely seen in their previous outings and best epitomized by the superbly-taken goal they created in the dying moments. Wu Xi's brilliant long ball found the indefatigable Wei Shihao, who cheekily flicked the ball over his marker's head before embarking on a driving run into the penalty area and sending in a perfectly weighted low cross. Ai had sprinted to make himself available at the center, as he does so often, and managed to slot home with minimal fuss.

For China, who aims to book a place at the World Cup for the first time since 2002, this will certainly count as a decent way to begin a new qualifying campaign. Indeed, the hosts are too obliging and impotent. Everything they summoned was hasty and slapdash, their attempts to resist purely reliant on parking the bus rather than any disciplined and sophisticated defensive plan. However, these are the kind of performances that allow Chinese followers to think positively, in particular when the team is suddenly filled with so much attacking verve and creativity.

Lippi was entitled to be impressed by the ruthless adaptability of the five-star Ai who has fitted seamlessly into his China setup. The World Cup-winning coach suggested in his post-match press conference that the 30-year-old is still on an upwards curve and the same could be said for many of his players.

Wang Gang has displayed his blistering pace to run in behind defenders. Chi Zhongguo has played the game with sublime composure, energy and natural briskness. Wei Shihao has proved to be a precocious talent to make a difference and is still improving every year. And Wu Lei, the only Chinese who currently plies his trade in Europe's top five leagues, has added a deep-lying intelligence and assurance to his role.

Truth be told, this team still has notable vulnerabilities and it feels presumptuous to declare that they will not suffer any harrowing stumbles now that a corner has been turned. But it was tempting to wonder what China can accomplish if everything falls into place.

"Today is a special day and I'd like to express my gratitude to all the fans, teammates and coaches who showered me with love and support on and off the pitch," a visibly emotional Ai said. "I was delighted to score on my China debut and I want to dedicate my two goals to mom and dad who came all the way to see me play (in Maldives)."

"We must also keep up our concentration and knuckle down, just like what we did in this win. We know there is a long way ahead and we have to work harder."

This is the new challenge for China, and a new optimism they have not fueled since Bora Milutinovic took that 'golden generation' to China's only World Cup appearance 17 years ago. It will come down to how Ai and his cohorts handle it to herald a new dawn.