Xiaochen Zong began his PDC China Premier League title defence with a whitewash win over Xicheng Han to triumph on the opening night of the new season on Tuesday.
Zong produced an astonishing 23-game winning run to triumph in the tournament's most recent edition, scooping the $1,500 top prize with victory over Han in September's showpiece.
The 24-year-old continued his dominant form to claim the Night One spoils, following up wins over Erlin Ju and Bin Zheng with a five-leg demolition of Han.
Zong survived a scare in his quarter-final tie against newcomer Ju, firing in a trio of 15-dart legs to recover from 3-1 down, before surviving a match dart in a dramatic decider to progress.
The two-time World Championship qualifier also made a sluggish start to his semi-final tie against Bin Zheng, before reeling off five consecutive legs to close out a 5-2 success, aided by three 180s in the closing stages.
Zong then dispatched Han in emphatic fashion to claim the US$100 nightly bonus, kicking off proceedings with a clinical 104 checkout and denying his opponent a solitary dart at double.
Han - who will make his Cazoo World Darts Championship debut at Alexandra Palace next month - edged out Jianjun Jia in a hard-fought tussle, before sweeping aside Chengan Liu 5-2 to reach Tuesday's final.
The format of the PDC China Premier League has evolved to replicate the Cazoo Premier League, with eight players competing across eight nights of action.
Following the conclusion of Night Seven, the top four players in the league table will progress to the Play-Offs, and the two Play-Off finalists will represent China at the 2023 World Cup of Darts.
The PDC China Premier League returns for Night Two on Tuesday December 6, and coverage will be broadcast through PDCTV for all subscribers worldwide, with the action commencing at 1900 CST (1100 GMT).
PDC China Premier League
Night One - Tuesday November 29
Quarter-Finals
Chengan Liu 5-0 Wenge Xie
Xicheng Han 5-4 Jianjun Jia
Bin Zheng 5-1 Lihao Wen
Xiaochen Zong 5-4 Erlin Ju
Semi-Finals
Xicheng Han 5-2 Chengan Liu
Xiaochen Zong 5-2 Bin Zheng
Final
Xiaochen Zong 5-0 Xicheng Han
2022/23 PDC China Premier League
Event Dates
December 6 - Night Two
January 10 - Night Three
January 17 - Night Four
February 7 - Night Five
February 14 - Night Six
TBC - Night Seven
TBC - Play-Offs (semi-finals & final)
Competitors
Xiaochen Zong
Xicheng Han
Chengan Liu
Bin Zheng
Lihao Wen
Wenge Xie
Jianjun Jia
Erlin Ju
Format
League Nights - best of nine legs
Play-Offs - semi-finals best of 19 legs, final best of 21 legs
League Phase Point Scoring
Champion: 5 points
Runner-up: 3 points
Semi-finalists: 2 points
Top four at end of regular season will advance to Play-offs
Prize Fund
Champion: $1,500 & qualification for World Cup of Darts
Runner-up: $1,000 & qualification for World Cup of Darts
Semi-finalists: $500
Quarter-finalists: $200
League phase event winner bonus: $100
Total: $5,000