Dalian Zhixing

Chen Dong had played for Dalian Shide, and when Dalian Pro dissolved he set about putting professional football back in a city that had lost it. The club he registered on 24 December 2021 was called Dalian Duxing then. It has changed its name twice since — to Dalian Zhixing in 2023, and to Dalian Yingbo the following January — which makes the paperwork harder to follow than the football.

The football went quickly. In the fourth tier in 2022 the side finished fourth in its regional group and still reached the promotion play-offs, where the tie against Hefei City ended goalless and went to penalties. A year later, under a new name, they were runners-up in China League Two behind Chongqing Tonglianglong and went up again. In 2024 they finished second in China League One.

Li Guoxu took the club from the amateur leagues to the top flight, three divisions in three seasons.

Home is Jinzhou Stadium, on the eastern edge of the city, built in 1958 and rebuilt in 1996–97, with room for 30,776. The kit has not settled as firmly as the ground: red during the Zhixing season, then light blue with black shorts after the 2024 rebrand. Supporters have not agreed on a name for the team either — Sea Demon and Blue Shark both circulate, neither official.

The academy has already sent Mao Weijie and Zhu Pengyu to national team debuts.