They were founded as an amateur team in 1988 and called Dalian Tielu. They took part in China's national leagues before becoming a professional team when the Yiteng Group gained ownership of the club. After years of stagnation the club was moved to Harbin where they have since predominantly remained and gained their first silverware, which was the 2011 China League Two title. Since then, they gradually improved their league standing and gained promotion to China's top tier when they came second within the 2013 China League One division.
History
In April 1988 the club was established as Dalian Tielu and soon joined the Chinese national leagues at the bottom of the pyramid in the third tier at the beginning of the 1989 league season.[1] After the team's debut performance the club's appearances within the national leagues became sporadic because they were an amateur team at a time when the league was being restructured as a fully professional unit. When professionalism arrived to the Chinese leagues in the 1994 league season, the club had started being funded by the Yiteng Group on February of that year. The funding helped to establish them as semi-professional unit and then soon after a fully professional team in the third division.[2] Xu Yin and Cheng Xianfei were appointed as joint managers. They came third in the league and were promoted to the second tier.[3]
The club's time in the second tier was not a success and at the end of the 1995 league season they finished tenth in the league and were relegated back into the third division.[4] The Yiteng Group took full control of the club in 1996, and by the following season merged the team with local rivals Dalian Shunfa. With the merger the owners were hoping for promotion and by the 1999 league campaign they believed that they had assembled a squad capable of achieving this. They did not reach the division play-offs that season because Mianyang F.C. had exactly the same points and goal difference as them after the last-placed odd number team was taken out of the equation.[5] The Chinese Football Association decided that the only way to settle the issue was that the two teams should draw lots to see who would qualify for the play-offs, with Mianyang winning in the end. The chairman Cui Yi and the Yiteng Group were so aggrieved that they decided to pull out of the competition the following season and sold their squad to Dalian Shide F.C. for 8 million Yuan.[6]
After the Yiteng Group had formed significant business ties within Harbin, Heilongjiang, Cui Yi decided that it was a good time for the club to re-enter the national leagues on December 20, 2005. They registered with the Chinese FA the new name of the club called Harbin Yiteng and took part at the bottom of the Chinese pyramid in the third tier for the start of the 2006 Chinese league two division. The club moved in the 30,000 capacity Hagongda Stadium and they quickly won promotion at the end of the season after coming runners-up to Beijing BIT.[7] The club struggled in the division and had a Chinese record sixteen game winless streak, however the team were able to avoid relegated that season. They moved to Yantai in Shandong in March 2008 and played in the 45,000 capacity Yantai Sports Park Stadium. They also replaced their red kit with a new all-blue outfit, however the changes did not work and they were relegated at the end of the 2008 league season. They briefly moved back to Dalian until April 1, 2011, when they returned to Harbin where their fortunes changed and they won their first championship, the 2011 China League Two division, and promotion back into the second division.[8] Under Duan Xin reign as manager Harbin continued their good form in the second tier and at the end of the 2013 league season he would guide the club to second within the division and promotion to the top tier for the first time in their history.[9]
At the start of the start of the 2014 Chinese Super League, former assistant Wang Helong was promoted to Head coach while Duan Xin remained as manager.[10] The club started in the Chinese Super League with a nine-game losing streak. It ended on the 4 May 2014 when they beat local rivals Changchun Yatai 3–1 to claim their first top flight win, thanks to goals from Dori, Han Deming and Ricardo Steer.[11] On 19 July 2014 Marijo Tot was brought in as the new head coach, however he was unable to reverse the club's fortunes and the team were relegated at the end of the season.[12]
Yiteng F.C. moved to Shaoxing and changed their name as Zhejiang Yiteng F.C. in the 2016 season. In October 2018, when Yiteng back to Harbin and play with Heilongjiang F.C., they experienced a horrible treatment from fans. People called them "go back to Dalian""idiots", and game result end with 1:1.[13] In January 2019, they relegated to the third-tier after failing to apply a League One license, despite finishing 12th in the last season.[14]
Ownership and naming history
Year
Owner
Club name
Sponsored team name
1988–93
Dalian Railway Bureau
Dalian Tielu Football Team
1994
Dalian Lichuang
1995
Dalian Tielu Yiteng
1996
Yiteng Group
Dalian Yiteng Liantie Football Club
1997
Dalian Yiteng Football Club
Anshan Yiteng Liantie
1998–2005
2006
Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Yiteng
2007
Harbin Yiteng
2008
Yantai Yiteng
2009–10
2011–12
Harbin Songbei Yiteng
2013–15
Harbin Yiteng Football Club
2016–20
Zhejiang Yiteng Football Club
2021–2022
Shaoxing Keqiao Yuejia Football Club
Managerial history
Information correct as of end of 2015 league season.[15][16][17]
