HANGZHOU, Sept. 22-- Chinese basketball player Yang Liwei was taken aback when she learned she was named as China's flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games.

"It was a real surprise and an extreme honor for me, I am very excited," she said.

Yang and world champion swimmer Qin Haiyang were announced on Friday as flag bearers for the host nation at the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games.

The women's basketball captain steered her team to end China's 12-year wait for the Asia Cup victory in July, following their silver medal finish in the previous year's World Cup. Born in 1995, the point guard stands 1.76 meters tall.

"This honor is not for me alone, but for the whole Chinese basketball team," the 28-year-old remarked.

"The women's basketball team will go all out in the upcoming Asian Games, and we are confident to achieve our goals." She added.

The opening ceremony of the Asian Games is set for Saturday evening. China has unveiled a delegation of 1,329 members, with 886 athletes competing in 407 events across 38 sports.