Luyun played as a centre for her nation and was a member of their women’s squad for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, after impressing when playing for her club team Fujian Tailaoshan.

The team had qualified for the Games having been crowned as the 2004 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Championship winners, after they beat hosts Japan 92-80 in the final in Sendai.

China, though, failed to make it out of a tough pool in Athens, which included the United States, Spain, New Zealand, the Czech Republic and South Korea, having only secured one victory in their five matches.

Luyun did play a role in further success for her nation, however, with the country winning the Asia Championships back in 2001 before claiming gold at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan.

At the Asian Games, the Chinese team secured a series of impressive victories before overcoming the host nation South Korea in a tense gold medal match, 80-76.

Following her retirement, Luyun was hired by the Chinese Basketball Association as a coach for the national team and took charge of the girls' 3x3 side at the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore during 2010.

Under her guidance, the team secured four straight wins in the pool phase of the competition, before earning quarter and semi-final victories over Japan and Canada respectively.

Their unbeaten run at the tournament concluded with a 33-29 victory over Australia in the gold medal match.

Luyun was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and despite several public events being held to raise money to help her fight the disease, she was sadly confirmed to have died on December 23.