Kushnir took an extended break from the sport after his aerials triumph at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games but shrugged off any concerns over whether he would be able to compete again at the top level by scoring 115.05 points.

The 32-year-old, who was born in the Ukraine, topped the podium in front of home favourite Guangpu Qi, who qualified in first place, as his efforts yielded a total of 114.48.

Guangpu and Kushnir were in a league of their own as Hang Zhou, also of China, ended the competition in third place on 95.58.

“It's been some time away from competitive skiing and I have to admit I've really missed the sport,” Kushnir said.

“It feels awesome to be back and to win the World Cup, especially here in China where you can always expect the highest level of competition.”

In the women’s event, Mengtao Xu made her return to the international circuit in style as she secured victory on home snow.

Mengtao, who won gold at the 2013 World Championships in Norway, missed the entirety of the previous campaign through injury, but showed little signs of rustiness as she scored 94.47 points in the final.

The Chinese skier finished in front of Australia’s Danielle Scott, who was second in the overall Aerials World Cup standings last season, as she received a total of 87.06 points.

Liubov Nikitina clinched her best-ever World Cup result as her score of 82.53 points was enough for third place.

Defending overall champion Ashley Caldwell of the United States endured a disappointing start to the season as she was eighth.

“I'm very happy to be competing again and taking the win in front of the home crowd here at Beida Lake,” said Mengtao.

“It feels great to get the yellow bib right from the start and I'm very excited for the World Cup season and the World Championships in Sierra Nevada.”

A team competition will bring the event in China to a close tomorrow.