Two first-half goals have given China a 2-0 win over the Hockeyroos in the second game of the three-match series at Perth Hockey Stadium.
Heading into the match with an average of just 25 international appearances among the 18 players to take the pitch, the Hockeyroos found themselves on the back foot in the first half.
China had a two-goal lead inside 16 minutes through Bingfeng Gu and Xindan Zang as the visitors had six penalty corners in the opening half hour.
Aleisha Power replaced Zoe Newman in goal for the second half and she was called upon to pad away a goal-bound effort early in the third quarter to keep the deficit at two.
The Hockeyroos enjoyed a dominant eight-minute period in the third quarter, winning some consecutive penalty corners but they could not find a way through a stubborn China defence.
Through quicker ball movement and creativity in their attacking half, the Hockeyroos continued to threaten but time and again their best endeavours were thwarted by a China team that is proving well drilled under coach and former Hockeyroo Alyson Annan.
A committed Courtney Schonell flashed a shot just wide of the target after an assist by Hannah Cullum-Sanders in the final quarter.
Urged on by a parochial home crowd, the Hockeyroos kept on the offensive and remained defensively sound at the other end but could not cut into China's lead.
Playing in just her second international, Morgan Gallagher said it was another valuable hit-out.
"It was a big learning experience. The tempo of the game was quite high and we spoke about putting in the work rate and the work ethic but keeping the quality of our skills high," Gallagher said.
"At halftime we spoke about getting more circle entries after we entered the attacking 25 and how we can have more variety moving into the circle to have those goal scoring opportunities."
