China defeated Kazakhstan 5-0 in their first game at the inaugural International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Ice Hockey Women's Asia Championship held at the Beijing's Shougang Park on Thursday.

Qu Yue of China scored at home just 56 seconds after the game started. Her teammates Zhang Biyang and Fang Xin added another two in the first period for a 3-0 lead. The hosts further extended their advantage in the second and third periods to clinch a 5-0 victory.

"It was a good start for our team. Young players made goals and assists in this high level event to gain experience and confidence," China's captain Yu Baiwei said. "We are looking forward to competing with Japan and other great teams, which can help us tap our potential. The whole team will fight to the end."

In the other game, Japan crushed South Korea 12-0. The winners opened the scoreline early with two goals in just six minutes and added seven goals in the second period alone to secure the win.

Among all the four participating teams, world No. 7 Japan are the highest-ranked in the tournament, followed by China in 12th place.

The tournament will continue on Saturday when China confront South Korea, and Japan face off against Kazakhstan.

The ice hockey venue was transformed to host the World Table Tennis China Smash about one month ago at Shougang Park, where the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic venue Big Air Shougang is located.