The Swiss 17-time Grand Slam champion came into the match against compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka with an enviable 11-1 head-to-head record but struggled to impose himself and was forced to dig deep before winning 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-0.
In a gripping contest lasting nearly two hours, Wawrinka missed a golden chance when he failed to make the most of a break point opportunity at 4-4 in the second set that, if taken, would have left him serving for the match.
Federer, surrounded this week by black-clad security heavies after a bizarre pre-tournament death threat, said reaching the jaw-dropping 300-week mark, which he will hit when the new rankings are out on Monday, was an "incredible milestone".
Federer returned to the number one spot following this year's Wimbledon triumph. The previous record was held by American Pete Sampras, who spent a total of 286 weeks as world number one.
Wawrinka, who teamed up with his illustrious compatriot to win Olympics doubles gold in 2008, broke Federer in the seventh game of the match to lead 4-3 and sealed the first set under lights at Qi Zhong Stadium.
Out-of-sorts Federer, 31, continued to struggle in the second set as the pair swapped breaks of serve and was in desperate trouble when Wawrinka earned the break point that, if taken, would have given him a 5-4 lead over his Davis Cup team-mate.
But the Swiss great dodged that bullet and stayed strong in a nerve-jangling tie-break to level the match, forcing a change of momentum and crushing his dejected 27-year-old opponent 6-0 in the decider.
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