(*Credit image: BWF News)
China are once again relying on their youngsters to carry their challenge in this year's E-Plus Badminton Asia Team Championships which begin Alor Setar, Kedah in Malaysia on Tuesday.
The Chinese have got themselves a relatively easy draw, at least on paper, with Hong Kong China and Singapore for company in the three-team Group A.
Two years ago at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Hyderabad, India, the Chinese barely made it to the knockout stage as one of the top two teams from the group.
India finished on top with a 5-0 whitewash of Singapore and a 3-2 win over China.
China scraped through with a 3-2 win over Singapore.
But that was as far as mighty China could go – as South Korea blanked the mighty Chinese 3-0.
For this year's championships China have again left their aging big names – Lin Dan and Chen Long – and instead named rising stars Shi Yuqi ranked No 8, and Qiao Bin (35) and Zhao Junpeng (78).
Shi Yuqi is 21 years, Qiao Bin 25, Zhao Junpeng (22) and Lu Guangzu 21.
For the doubles two 19-year-olds He Jiting and Tan Qiang are China number one for the Asian meet.
The others are Han Chengkai-Zhaou Haodong and Chai Biao-Wang Zekang.
The on-going India Masters has been a good "testing ground" for the Chinese with Shi Yuqi and Qiao Bin advancing to the quarter-finals in New Delhi together with doubles pairs Chai Biao-Wang Zekang and He Jiting-Tan Qiang.
Alor Setar is a happy hunting ground for Shi Yuqi.
It was in Alor Setar that Shi Yuqi and company won the mixed team gold for China in the 2014 World Junior Championships.
He also won the silver in the boys singles after losing 22-20, 8-21, 18-21 to compatriot Lin Guipu in the final.
Shi Yuqi credentials include winning the French Open Superseries in 2016 where he beat Korea's Lee Hyun Il 21-16, 21-19 for his first superseries title.
Last year Shi Yuqi surprised many to reach the All England final but lost 12-21, 10-21 to Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei.
In the Grand Prix events the Chinese triumphed in the Bitburger Open and Indonesia Masters in 2016.
Shi Yuqi is the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics gold medal winner.
A year earlier he played a sterling role for China in winning the mixed team gold in the Asian Junior Championships in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah in Malaysia.
The Team
(World rankings in brackets)
Singles
Shi Yuqi (8)
Qiao Bin (38)
Zhao Junpeng (78)
Lu Guangzu (254)
Doubles
He Jeting-Tan Qiang (57)
Han Chengkai-Zhao Haodong (67)
Chai Biao-Wang Zekang (156)