Heilongjiang Lava Spring

The team that plays in Harbin did not start there. It began in Anhui province in September 2014 as Anhui Litian , and it won the eastern group of China's third tier in its first season, which earned promotion. Then a local Heilongjiang company bought the club on the last day of 2015, renamed it Heilongjiang Lava Spring and moved it more than a thousand kilometres north.

What followed in Harbin was the run the club is still measured against. In 2017 it went through the fourth tier unbeaten and settled the title at home on 5 November, beating Meixian Techand 3-0 to go back up. That same year brought a first-round Chinese FA Cup win over Jingtian Huochetou , 2-1, which remains close to the extent of the club's cup record.

The name changed once more in 2021, to Heilongjiang Ice City — the city's own nickname, and a fair description of the conditions the club plays in. The home ground is the Harbin International Convention and Exhibition Centre Stadium, which holds 48,000.

The club sits in China League One, the division below the top flight. Even the basics stay unsettled: the club colours are not recorded anywhere in the open record.