The Sydney academic Professor Chongyi Feng has arrived back in Australia after being barred from leaving China, an ordeal he described as “one of life’s little accidents”.

Feng had been questioned daily by Chinese authorities since he was first stopped at a Chinese airport more than a week ago. His lawyer told Reuters that Feng was informed on Saturday he was allowed to leave.

Arriving at Sydney airport on Sunday, Feng said it was “great” to be back after an ordeal that was “less than entertaining”. He “got bored” but hoped those questioning him got bored as well.

He told the ABC he would be getting back to work and would soon be returning to China. The terms of his release included non-disclosure of details about the conversations which covered “a whole range of topics”.

He believed international pressure assisted his release.

Earlier, before leaving China, Feng reportedly said in a video message: “Now it is over, I now have the chance to step out of the country, but I will return.”

Feng, a long-term Australian-based academic researching human rights at the University of Technology Sydney, had been in China with his wife, an Australian national, for about a month meeting academics and human rights lawyers.

His lawyer said Chinese authorities had cited “national security” when asked about why he was twice barred from leaving the southern city of Guangzhou on a flight to Australia.

“They want to know more about his research into human rights lawyers and he has been barred from leaving China on suspicion of harming national security,” Chen Jinxue told the Guardian last week.

Feng has written extensively on Chinese politics, government and human rights issues for several decades.

While Feng was not able to leave China, he was not in custody and remained at a hotel with his wife.

“The authorities wanted to talk to me at any time, so I just wait for the phone call, in the morning or the afternoon,” he told the ABC. “I actually could not go too far away but I could move around in the hotel.”

“The only worry now is they may punish those lawyers [who helped my case]. I did not do anything illegal and the lawyers only upheld their duty to the law of China.”

The Australian foreign affairs department said last week that it was only able to provide consular assistance to Australian citizens who arrived in China on their Australian passport. Feng is an Australian resident who has retained his Chinese passport.

The University of Technology Sydney told Guardian Australia it was pleased the matter had been resolved and that Feng was allowed to return to Australia.

“Our focus has always been on his personal wellbeing and that of his family,” a spokesman said.

“The university will continue to provide care, as his employer, to Dr Feng and his family in relation to his recent experience.”