Guangzhou, September 6: A stellar line-up of Asian Tour stars will help launch the inaugural US$400,000 Midea China Classic next week.

Local hero Liang Wen-chong, who is ranked number one on the Asian Tour's UBS Order of Merit, will spearhead the charge at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club where he will start as a firm contender.

Other title hopefuls include big-hitting Australian Scott Hend, who is third on the UBS Order of Merit after five top-10s this season, Thailand's Chapchai Nirat , India's Gaurav Ghei and recent champions Artemio Murakami of the Philippines and Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei.

China's legend Zhang Lian-wei, who recently celebrated his 100th appearance on the Asian Tour, will also be searching for success at a venue he recently helped to redesign the golf course.

"I am happy to head back to China and compete at the Midea China Classic," said Liang.

"I hope to strengthen my position on the UBS Order of Merit and to have the chance to play in front of the home crowd that week, it is going to be exciting," added Liang, who has produced seven top-10 finishes including a maiden win in the Clariden Leu Singapore Masters this season.

The tenacious Chinese will be looking to bounce back from a rare missed cut appearance at last week's Brunei Open after a muscle twinge on his shoulder and neck affected his performance.

He is also delighted to welcome the Midea China Classic onto the Asian Tour Schedule, which will offer a record US$27 million in total prize money through 27 tournaments this season.

"The Midea China Classic shows that golf in China is growing and I am looking forward to the challenges at the Royal Orchid International Golf Club.

"I have played on the course before and know that it requires a well rounded game for a solid score. I am looking for a good result and will be working hard to deliver in front of the Chinese fans," said the Zhongshan-born star.

Ghei will head to the Middle Kingdom with a proven track record, having won the Pine Valley Beijing Open in April. It was his third title on the Asian Tour.

After a strong front half of the season, Malaysia's Iain Steel will return to action after his summer break and he will be looking to pick up from where he left off. Steel will relish an opportunity to go head to head to Liang, who beat him in a play-off to in Singapore.

The 42-year-old Zhang is also itching to get back into the winner's circle after a lapse of four years. And with the Midea China Classic being played at a venue which he is familiar with, the self-taught golfer fancies his chances.

"I was glad to help with the course redesign where we added several more bunkers and reshaped many of them to make the golf course more challenging. We also added some length to the course which we hope will make it harder for the players.

"I'm looking forward to this event," said Zhang.

Murakami triumphed at the inaugural Iskandar Johor Open last month while Lin was successful in the Brunei Open.

The weekend rounds of the Midea China Classic will be telecast live on ESPN StarSports. There will also be terrestrial coverage in Indonesia and Thailand with a total potential audience of 30 million with the Asian Tour Weekly magazine show broadcasted across Asia through ESPN Star Sports.