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The hosts have been the only team who have managed to record a comprehensive win at the World Cup thus far, with every other fancied side being put to stern tests in their respective openers.
That said, the tournament has failed to produce any upsets, thus far, with the favourites just about scrambling home, but Danny Kerry's Englishmen have been the first to drop points - that too, against the Chinese, who have never been part of a World Cup before.
Kerry, who had a rather disappointing World Cup with the England women's team, now finds himself in a rather precarious position after his boys were held to a 2-2 draw by the lowest-ranked team in Pool B, with a match against World Champions Australia coming up next week.
To make matters worse, the Irish almost pulled off a draw against the Kookaburras, in the first Pool B clash, and may well pose a few problems for an England side who seem to be struggling without the prolific Sam Ward.
From a Chinese perspective, it was a dream start indeed, and one that would please Kim Sang-Ryul no end.
Let us take a look at 5 factors that may have been significant in determining the ultimate course of this match.
#5 Kim Sang-Ryul adds Korean elements to Chinese hockey
It may have been the debut World Cup for the Chinese but Kim Sang-Ryul is hardly a newcomer. The veteran has successfully guided the South Koreans to phenomenal success in the past and has now moulded the Chinese on similar lines.
At the Asian Games at Doha in 2006, Kim guided the Chinese men to win silver after upsetting both India and Pakistan along the way.
It was Kim who got the Korean men a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 but the master coach has been passing on his knowledge and expertise to the Chinese for over a decade now.
The South Koreans, at their peak, had perfected the art of man-to-man marking and were known for their sudden speedy runs which caught the opposition unawares.
Both features were obvious on Friday as one yellow shirt hovered beside a taller and sturdier red-shirted player, shadowing, and frustrating the English strikers.
The champion Korean sides of the past possessed some great drag-flicking talent in their ranks and Kim has ensured that his present wards too have skills to match - Du Talake's goal which earned his side a creditable draw provides ample proof of China's prowess in the PC department.
#4 England miss Sam Ward
Sam Ward was ruled out of the Odisha World Cup at the eleventh hour after suffering an injury during training, and the prolific striker's presence is being sorely missed by the English camp.
Ward who has been a livewire for the English over the years is lethal with his drag-flicks but relishes scoring goals from open play as well.
As a matter of fact, Ward scored a brace against World Champions Australia on debut in the 2014 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar and has been a key member of the England squad ever since.
At the Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Ward scored a PC brace to sink the Indians in the bronze-medal match after he had helped his side beat the Welsh with a hat-trick in the pool stages.
Ward ended up as the highest scorer at Gold Coast with 9 goals and was expected to be a key man for the English. Although Ward's replacement Liam Ansell added his name to the scoresheet against China, Danny Kerry's side seemed handicapped without the Holcombe striker.
#3 China play the surprise card to perfection
Danny Kerry admitted before the match that there was little he knew about the present Chinese unit - a fact that obviously impacted his side's preparation for the opener.
The manner in which Guo Jin scored after the minnows had managed to split open the English defence in the opening minutes was proof enough that Kerry's side had clearly not anticipated the high levels of potency which the Chinese strikers possess.
After the opening goal, the English took a while to recover as they were clearly trying to figure out whether to close the gaps at the back or venture ahead, and the Chinese side grew in confidence with every passing minute.
Siegfried Aikman, coach of the Japanese men's team was at the Kalinga Stadium and pointed out to Sportskeeda after the match, that the Chinese were disciplined and had nothing to lose.
"China played well and was very disciplined. All teams here are in their best shape. China had nothing to lose and England everything."
#2 England were unimaginative up front
An early one-goal deficit against a team like China should hardly have troubled a side of England's calibre. Yet, Kerry's boys huffed and puffed their way to the striking circle and seemed to lack ideas once they got there.
"England forgot to keep playing after they (China) took the lead," said Aikman
Twenty-two circle entries against a side who certainly cannot boast of a formidable reputation should have produced a couple of more goals, at the very least, but England was clearly confused as to what to with the ball once in the attacking circle.
Fortune too was not on England's side, as they missed a couple of close chances but even so, would have been expected to prevail with ease.
The English need to get their confidence back as similar indecisiveness against the World Champions next week could well be catastrophic.
#1 Is Danny Kerry the best choice?
Kerry was in charge of the English girls at the Women's World Cup earlier this year where the hosts and Olympic champions had a disastrous outing.
Alex Danson and co. very nearly allowed the Indians to cause a massive upset in the World Cup opener before stealing a draw. England was then held to a draw by the USA and made it to the quarterfinals thanks to a win over South Korea in the crossovers.
The unimpressive English side crashed out after losing to Holland in the quarterfinals, after which Danny Kerry applied for the position of coach of the men's side which Bobby Crutchley had left vacant with his departure in May.
Kerry was finally appointed to guide the men's side to Bhubaneswar and did have a chance to redeem himself but the performance of his team in their opening match leaves a lot to be desired.
Even so, great teams like Australia have won the World Cup after losing the opening match - Ric Charlesworth's men lost their opener to England but went on to clinch the Delhi World Cup in 2010, so all is not lost for the England team and their embattled coach.
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