Gareth Bale became Wales's all-time leading goalscorer by netting a hat-trick in the Dragons' resounding 6-0 win over China in Nanning.
The Real Madrid forward scored twice in the opening quarter of the match and completed his treble 62 minutes in, taking him above Ian Rush in the scoring charts.
Sam Vokes also netted twice, either side of Harry Wilson's first goal for his country, as Ryan Giggs kicked off his managerial tenure in style.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in Nanning with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the international friendly meeting between China and Wales at the Guangxi Sports Center in Nanning. The Dragons begin a new era under Ryan Giggs some 9,500km from home, as they look to bounce back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
Lifting the China Cup would hardly soften the blow of missing out on a place at Russia 2018, but this does at least provide new boss Giggs with a chance to instil a winning mentality in his group, which currently has a good blend of experienced heads and young up-and-coming players. It remains to be seen whether Giggs will go with his strongest possible XI this morning, though we can expect to see each member of the squad used at some point over the next four days.
We are still awaiting confirmation of the Wales team news from Nanning, so why not take a closer look at what this tournament is all about... The China Cup is now into its second year, pitting together teams from three different continents on this occasion. Wales are joined by fellow Europeans the Czech Republic, while South American giants Uruguay and Asian hosts China, obviously, are also involved.
The format of the competition is simple enough. This match is effectively a semi-final, with Czech Republic and Uruguay facing off in the other match in 24 hours' time. The two winners will then meet in the final at this ground on Monday morning, and the third-placed playoff will take place shortly beforehand. Essentially, then, all four teams will play twice regardless of how they get on.
WALES TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Hennessey; Gunter, Williams, Chester, Davies, John; Allen, King; Wilson, Bale, Vokes
SUBS: Maxwell, Crowe, Matthews, Roberts, Lockyer, Evans, Hedges, Mepham, Watkins, Woodburn, Bodin, Bradshaw
An initial look at the team sheet suggests that Giggs has gone with a back five - or back three, depending on how you view it - for his first game in charge. A bit of confusion as Declan John, reviving his career north of the border in Scotland with Rangers after falling down the Cardiff City pecking order, can play at full-back, wing-back or indeed on the left-hand side of midfield.
If it is indeed a 3-4-3 then Chris Gunter will operate in a wing-back role on the opposite flank. The Reading stalwart officially becomes Wales's most capped outfield player today, so this is a huge occasion for him in Giggs's first match in charge. Ashley Williams, James Chester and the versatile Ben Davies are expected to operate in a three-man backline - a familiar-looking setup, bar the inclusion of John at left wing-back.
Further forward Giggs has gone with Joe Allen and Andy King in central midfield, flanked by Gunter and John who will both have a big part to play in this China Cup opener. Sam Vokes has been given the nod through the middle, meanwhile, and alongside him is superstar forward Gareth Bale and a youngster who is beginning to make serious waves in Harry Wilson. Bale travelled some 7,500km, catching three separate planes, to make it to the Far East.
That tells you an awful lot about the commitment shown by Bale, who it is fair to say tends to enjoy his international football more than his club football these days. Giggs had been weighing up whether to include the Real Madrid ace from the off or instead introduce him from the bench - well we now have our answer. Plenty is already known about Vokes's role in this side - hold it up and get on the end of crosses - but what about the other man playing just off him?
Wilson, like clubmate Ben Woodburn, regularly stood out for Liverpool's youth sides and he has now been given a chance to impress regularly in the Championship with Hull City. Wilson's reward is a second cap for his nation, and a first start. All-in-all Giggs has made four changes to the XI that featured in Chris Coleman's final game at the helm - Gunter, Davies, Chester and Vokes the players to retain their places in the side.
CHINA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Yan Junling; Wang Shenchao, Feng Xiaoting, He Guan, Zheng Zheng; Hao Junmin, Huang Bowen; Wu Lei, Yu Dabao, Wei Shihao; Gao Lin
In terms of the home side, who are under the management of experienced boss Marcelo Lippi, they have Gao Lin leading their line. The 32-year-old striker has scored 20 goals in his previous 97 caps for the Golden Dragons, while Wu Lei, Yu Dabao and Wei Shihao have eight, 17 and two goals respectively. In the case of his latter, the low tally is explained by his youthfulness - he is aged just 22 and has represented his nation on three previous occasions.
Gareth Bale is named in Ryan Giggs's first starting lineup as Wales manager in one of seven changes from last time out. Chris Gunter, who becomes the Dragons' record outfield appearance maker today, retains his place in the side from the 1-1 draw with Panama in the autumn, as do Ben Davies, James Chester and Sam Vokes.
Wales head into this match needed a bit of a pick-me-up, having failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup finals. Following the high of not only making it to Euro 2016 but also, against all expectations, making it as far as the semi-finals, the Dragons now have to contend with a summer watching the action from home. In many ways in was a favourable qualifying group, too, containing no real heavyweight sides.
There was very little to choose between Wales, Republic of Ireland, Austria and Serbia, and so that proved as those sides took points off each other throughout the 18-month campaign. Wales had momentum on their side heading into the qualifiers, of course, thanks to that memorable run in France, and they used that to their advantage by starting impressively enough with a 4-0 home win over Moldova and well-earned 2-2 draw away to Austria.
That one draw soon extended to a Welsh record of five in a row, though, leaving the Dragons requiring four wins from their final four matches. They so nearly achieved that, too, beating Austria at home and Georgia and Moldova away, only to come unstuck in what was effectively a playoff against Republic of Ireland on home soil. The pressure very much got to Wales on the night, as they failed to perform once losing key man Allen to injury.
Since the 1-0 home loss to Ireland, Wales have lost to France in Paris and were held at home to World Cup-bound Panama in Cardiff. The first of those matches provided then-boss Coleman with a chance to experiment, bringing on a raft of young players in the second half and so nearly snatching a famous 1-1 draw. The less said about the Panama draw the better, though - it was a game the Dragons could have done without.
That would prove to be Coleman's last match in charge, as he opted not to renew his contract and instead, rather bizarrely, took the decision to manage Championship strugglers Sunderland. Despite the disappointment of failing to reach Russia 2018, or indeed the playoffs - and it should be remembered that Wales were top seeds in that group - Coleman could still bow out with his head held high, having accrued enough credit during the famous run in France.
It is now down to Giggs to lift his players ahead of two upcoming campaigns. First is the UEFA Nations League in the autumn, with Wales paired alongside Republic of Ireland and Denmark. Four matches await in that de facto qualifying process, before beginning the more traditional qualifying route in a year's time. Before any of that, though, Giggs has three friendlies to come - today's match against China, Monday's clash with either Uruguay or Czech Republic, and May's meeting with Mexico in the United States.
Giggs was always seen as the favoured choice by Football Association of Wales chiefs, despite hardly doing a lot to win over supporters during his playing days. The bottom line is, though, that there were no other real candidates for the job, especially after FAW president Jonathan Ford essentially ruled out looking abroad. Osian Roberts, Craig Bellamy and Mark Bowen were all interviewed, but it was Giggs who landed the top job.
Ryan Giggs has moved to bring in a couple of his former Manchester United coaching colleagues as part of his backroom staff, while Osian Roberts - formerly the assistant to Chris Coleman - has been retained to provide some continuity. The Dragons' biggest strength has always been the team harmony, however, and if the new man in charge can keep his playing members happy, there is no reason why he cannot match the success of the man he replaced in the dugout.
Giggs, ironically judging by his own personal friendly record for Wales, has been hit by a number of pull-outs this week. Aaron Ramsey was the first to make it known he would not be making the long trek as he needs to undergo a minor procedure, quickly followed by Derby County duo Joe Ledley and Tom Lawrence. Chelsea starlet Ethan Ampadu has also withdrawn from the original squad, while Neil Taylor will also play no part as he has remained with Aston Villa.
Two other notable absentees from the China Cup squad are Paul Dummett and Danny Ward. In the case of the former, his international days with Wales are surely over as he has constantly prioritised club football with Newcastle. The latter, meanwhile, is a rather strange on, with logistical problems to blame for Ward's absence. The Liverpool goalkeeper lost his passport in the post when applying for a visa to travel to the Far East.
Anyway, Giggs still has plenty of others to choose from, namely a certain Gareth Bale who returns to the Wales fold today after missing each of their last four matches. The Real Madrid forward sat out the two most recently friendlies, as well as the final two World Cup 2018 qualifiers - how the Dragons could have done with him against Ireland in that final-game shootout! Bale has, understandably, been mobbed by the locals over the past 48 hours.
Declan John was one of the other late arrivals in China, but he is handed a start today and now has a real chance of holding down a spot at left-back, or indeed on the left wing if Giggs opts to change things around. Adam Matthews, Tom Bradshaw and relative unknown goalkeeper Michael Crowe have also been added to the squad and may feature at some point in the coming days. In all, Wales have five uncapped players in their ranks.
These three friendlies over the next two months - and possible one more that may be added to the calendar - must be taken seriously by Giggs. Come the autumn the UEFA Nations League gets under way and the Euro 2020 qualifiers follow soon after. The Manchester United legend is far from a legend in the eyes of many Wales fans, so he must ensure that he gets off to a positive start, beginning with a positive display - and ideally victory - in Nanning today.
The whole point of these friendlies is for Giggs to settle on a preferred XI in time for the Denmark and Ireland double-headers towards the end of the year - revenge is not the only thing on the agenda; the Dragons would love a backdoor entry into the next European Championship finals. Returning to winning ways is also important, having lost two and drawn one of their last three games. Still, even taking that run into account it is just three defeats in 16 - one of those coming to Portugal in the Euro semis.
China are themselves aiming to get back to winning ways following a five-game wait for victory. Marcelo Lippi's men are ranked 65th in the world, putting them pretty much on par with the likes of Russia, Slovenia and Norway - teams Wales will know a little more about. The Golden Dragons (this could get a bit confusing) beat Uzbekistan and Qatar in their final two World Cup qualifiers, but it was not enough to give them a top-two berth.
China finished down in fifth place in Group A, in fact, kept off the bottom by Qatar, who will host the finals in four years time. Again, though, some context is needed - they were one win off finishing in the top two, and therefore could easily have been competing in Russia this summer. Still, this is a game that Wales should be winning, new manager or not, providing a good chance to build some momentum.
With kickoff now just a couple of minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Ryan Giggs: "It will be a tough game against the hosts - a China team with a great manager, who I've come across many times when he was coaching Juventus. It's going to be tough, not only because of the manager, but also because it's China at home. We've watched videos. They're very aggressive, they're on the front foot but they play attractive football too so with that in mind it should be an attractive game with lots of goals."
Marcelo Lippi: "I don't feel I need to give [Giggs] any advice. He had the best coach in Sir Alex Ferguson [at Man United]. He just needs to do what he learned from him. He was an extraordinary player, very strong, I really like him. I hope he will become a very good coach as well. I wish him all the best."
KICKOFF! Anthems done and dusted, we are now officially up and running at the Guangxi Sports Center in Nanning. The start of a new era for Wales under the management of Ryan Giggs in the opening match of the 2018 China Cup.
As expected, Wales have gone with a back three - John is being used in a wing-back role. A number of good, technical players in the China ranks, but they have shown some physicality early on by wiping out striker Sam Vokes.
GOAL! CHINA 0-1 WALES (GARETH BALE)
Well first and foremost it has to be said just how unbelievably bad the defending from China was for this opener. A little over two minutes on the clock and Bale was allowed to work his way into the box, take a few touches and rifle the ball into the top corner.
The Bale goal was actually timed at two minutes, so it really is a dream start for Ryan Giggs in the Wales dugout. Bale already standing out and, on the basis of what we have seen so far, the visitors could bag a few in the remainder of this match.
CHANCE! Bale requires just one more goal to match Ian Rush's long-standing scoring tally for Wales. A chance for China to level, but Lei Wu could only send Lin Gao's left-sided cross over the bar from seven yards out.
A chance apiece in the opening 10 minutes of the match; the difference being that Wales actually took theirs through star man Bale. It will be interesting to see whether Giggs rotates things heavily at half time or keeps it the same.
The hosts have just about had the better of things since going a goal down. Experienced campaigner Lippi will be hugely disappointed by the manner of the opening goal, but the response has been impressive enough from his side.
Vokes gets a shot away on the spin but cannot find a way through on goal. Not that it mattered - the offside flag was already raised on the far side for offside. Incidentally, Wales are wearing their new white and green away strip this morning.
China continuing to see more of the ball, without really doing a great deal with it. Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales, by comparison, looking lively when they break in numbers - always likely to be the case when you have Bale in your ranks.
Nice play from John down the flank to feed Wilson, who in turn could not pick out one of his teammates in the middle. A big game for John in particular today - he can nail down a regular starting spot in the side should he impress in these friendlies.
SAVE! A rare save for Wayne Hennessey to make, as he gets behind a rather tame effort from Lei Wu. Up the other end, a goalkeeping howler almost saw Bale in, but Junling Yan just about recovered to spare his blushes.
GOAL! CHINA 0-2 WALES (GARETH BALE)
Moments after Ashley Williams fluffed his lines at the back post by sending a free header over the bar, Bale pounced to add his second of the match. Vokes with a nice pass into his teammates path, allowing the Madrid man to tuck it past Junling Yan when one-on-one.
That second Bale goal came from yet more poor China defending - they are really struggling when Wales get at them. The message from Giggs must surely be to continue getting bodies forward, knowing that his side could easily double their tally.
So less than a third of the match played and Bale already has himself a couple of goals, drawing level with Ian Rush as Wales's leading goalscorer. The forward is unlikely to play any more than an hour, but still plenty of time to complete the hat-trick.
Best passing move of the game so far as King flicks the ball into Vokes's path, and the Burnley man returns the favour. King is in behind but goes to ground before getting in a shot, but he appeared to be looking for it in the eyes of the referee.
China had a good spell at 1-0 when they could well have netted a leveller, but the visitors have completely dominated since Bale added a second. The Madrid forward is calling all the shots, with the Golden Dragons badly struggling to contain him.
A nasty challenge from Shihao Wei on Bale, leaving the forward down on the ground in some pain. Giggs will be wary of his star man being targeted, perhaps making his decision as to whether to keep him on the field a little easier.
A reminder that those two goals for Bale takes him to 28 in a Wales shirt, now level with legendary striker Ian Rush in the Wales scoring ranks. How he would love one more to move outright in front, and you would not bet against him bagging it in Nanning.
China's best moment for quite some time, with a cross coming in from the right for Hennessey to collect. The hosts will know that all it takes is one goal and they are right back in this match; the problem being they do not look like scoring.
GOAL! CHINA 0-3 WALES (SAM VOKES)
A deserved goal for Vokes, who has produced a masterclass in hold-up play this afternoon with two assists to his name. Bale sprayed the ball out to King, who helped it into the path of Vokes. The Burnley man started the attack and finished it by flicking the ball past Junling Yan.
SAVE! I make this the first time Wales have found the target but failed to score. Gunter heavily involved in the build-up, teeing up Bale for a shot that is hit too close to Junling Yan - that should give the Chinese goalkeeper some confidence.
Wilson is really starting to enjoy himself - why wouldn't he, with his side cruising into the China Cup final. Giggs, in his first game in charge, will surely now make two or three changes at the break, before making another batch on the hour mark.
Superb delivery from Wilson, who sent the corner right into the six-yard box where Vokes so nearly met it. Vokes has two assists and a goal in this first half, showing just why he is so important to this side. Bale's shot is saved by Junling Yan.
GOAL! CHINA 0-4 WALES (HARRY WILSON)
A first start for Wales, on what is his 21st birthday, Harry Wilson has just marked one of the biggest days of his life in style. I said a few minutes ago that he has been enjoying himself, well he has just cut inside and curled the ball past Junling Yan to give the Dragons a fourth.
HALF TIME: CHINA 0-4 WALES
Wales take a four-goal lead into the half-time interval, giving Ryan Giggs a start to managerial life that he would have dreamt of. Gareth Bale netted the first two and then two more followed from Sam Vokes and Harry Wilson, who is making his first start for the Dragons this afternoon.
Gareth Bale needed less than two minutes to make his 7,500km trek worthwhile, profiting from some poor defensive play from the hosts to drift into the box and rifle the ball into the top corner. China, ranked 65th in the world, enjoyed their best period of the match between Bale's first two goals, coming close to a leveller through a close range Lei Wu attempt and a tame shot from the same player soon after.
A minute after Ashley Williams had somehow managed to send a free header over the bar, Bale doubled his personal tally for the afternoon by taking Sam Vokes's pass into his path and this time rolling it past Junling Yan in the opposition goal. After drawing level with legendary striker Ian Rush in Wales's all-time scoring stakes, Bale played a part in the third goal of the match, spraying the ball out to Andy King who in turn found Vokes in the middle.
Vokes, already with a couple of assists to his name, stuck out a leg to cap a fine first-half display with his ninth goal in Wales colours. Star man Bale then had a shot kept out, before Harry Wilson marked his first start in Welsh colours, on what is his 21st birthday, by cutting inside and curling the ball out of Junling Yan's reach to get off the mark for his country.
A perfect start for Ryan Giggs so far in the Wales dugout, then - will he change things around at all during the interval? Here is a reminder of the subs available to the new man in charge, which includes five uncapped players...
WALES SUBS: Maxwell, Crowe, Matthews, Roberts, Lockyer, Evans, Hedges, Mepham, Watkins, Woodburn, Bodin, Bradshaw
RESTART! We are back under way at the Guangxi Sports Center in Nanning. No changes made by visiting boss Giggs, but opposite number Lippi has made a few alterations. Chao He, Yiming Liu and Xuri Zhao have been brought on for the second 45.
Vokes goes in for a 50-50 but appeared to come out second best - he should be able to shake it off. No changes made by Giggs at the break so expect a few changes in the next 10 minutes, with Vokes one of those likely to make way.
Lippi actually made five changes at the break, not three, with Xuepeng Li and Xuri Zhao also on for the second half. Giggs holding off in terms of his subs, though the unchanged Dragons have started this second half second best.
SHOT! China, much like when they were just a goal down, are probing away and coming close to a response. A corner is sent into the middle, where Shihao Wei is waiting to direct it wide of Hennessey's goal - not an easy chance, at all.
Wales have been unable to take their first-half momentum into this second period. China with far more purpose about them since the restart, no doubt treating the game as though it is still goalless. The visitors need to step things up a level.
SAVE! China closing in on a goal, as Xuri Zhao is given space to get a shot away outside the box. A deflection took the sting out of it, though, and Hennessey barely had to break stride to collect it down the middle.
GOAL! CHINA 0-5 WALES (SAM VOKES)
Brilliant play from Vokes to hold his run - he has been superb all afternoon. Wilson claims an assist for his through-ball, allowing Vokes to tuck the ball past Junling Yan who did not exactly cover himself in glory. Five-star showing from the Welsh.
GOAL! CHINA 0-6 WALES (GARETH BALE)
Record-breaker! Gareth Bale overtakes Ian Rush as Wales's leading all-time scorer by taking a long ball over the top in his stride and tucking it home. That will be the Real Madrid forward's last act, with Giggs about to make three changes.
WALES SUBS! Gareth Bale, now officially a Welsh footballing legend if he wasn't already, makes way for Ben Woodburn. Also introduced are Tom Bradshaw and Lee Evans. Giggs will not want his side to stop here - still time for a seventh and eighth.
Lippi will have wanted the full-time whistle at half time, with his side four goals down at the time, so a penny for his thoughts right now. China must see out the final 23 minutes without the scoreline reaching double figures.
WALES SUBS! Hennessey sweeps up the ball first after a punt over the top. Chris Mepham is on for his debut, taking over from Ben Davies at the back. James Chester is also taken off as Marley Watkins is given a chance to impress.
The match now threatening to peter out slightly due to the vast number of changes. Six changes made by Giggs in all, including the introduction of Mepham a few minutes ago, while opposite number Lippi has also made six alterations.
Williams with a rare chance to register a goal for the national side, but he fails to take his opportunity. We are now approaching the final 15 minutes and Wales look far more likely to score a seventh than China do to scoring a first.
A reminder that Wales will now play in Monday's final here, against either Uruguay or the Czech Republic. Those two sides face off tomorrow morning in a match that should be a little tighter than what we have witnessed in Nanning today.
SAVE! What a save this is from Hennessey to keep his clean sheet intact. Hanchao Yu was allowed to cut inside and curl the ball towards the top corner, only for Hennessey to somehow get a fingertip to the ball and help it on to the woodwork.
Not that it would make a great deal in the grand scheme of things, but the home fans in this 60,000-capacity venue would love to see their side get off the mark. China do deserve a goal on the basis of the 79 minutes, in fairness.
Bit of a controversial one, as Lee Evans is adjudged to have gone to ground far too easily after exchanging passes inside the box. The referee initially looked to have made the correct call, yet replays show that Evans had a case.
Seven minutes left to play at the Guangxi Sports Center in Nanning. Not been a great deal of action since Wales's sixth goal of the afternoon, with China coming closest to netting since then - Hennessey producing a wonderful save.
A combined 12 changes made by the two managers since half time and that looks like being that. Both sides have another game to play on Monday, remember, so the full squad will likely be used during the course of the tournament.
CLOSE! so nearly a seventh for Wales, with Lee Evans meeting Ben Woodburn's corner. One of those occasions when they contact was a little too clean with his head, though, sending the ball over the opposition crossbar.
Despite the raft of second-half changes, the officials are unlikely to add on too many minutes at the end. Both managers will accept the full-time whistle now, although they are understandably feeling contrasting emotions in that sense!
FULL TIME: CHINA 0-6 WALES
A dream start for Ryan Giggs in the Wales dugout, then, as a Gareth Bale hat-trick, a Sam Vokes brace and maiden international goal from Harry Wilson earned the Dragons a comprehensive 6-0 win over China in Nanning. Up next for Giggs and his players is a China Cup final meeting with either Uruguay or Czech Republic at this ground on Monday morning.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Guangxi Sports Center. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, while reaction from the Far East can be found elsewhere on the site in due course. Thanks for joining!
