# China women's national ice hockey team

The Chinese women's national ice hockey team (simplified Chinese: 中国国家女子冰球队; traditional Chinese: 中國國家女子冰球隊; pinyin: Zhōngguó Guójiā Nǚzǐ Bīngqiú Duì) represents China at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Women's Championships, the Asian Winter Games, and other international competitions. The women's national team is governed by the Chinese Ice Hockey Association. China's national women's program is ranked twentieth in the world by the IIHF and has 808 active players as of 2020.

## History

China reached their hey day of women's hockey in the mid-90s when they finished as high as 4th place mostly thanks to the "Great Wall of China" goaltender, Guo Hong, who is now retired. China had 174 women's ice hockey players in 2011.
Motivated to gain exposure to a more challenging level of competition, the Chinese national team competed in the Naisten SM-sarja, the premier women's league in Finland, for thirteen games in the 2005–06 season and for twelve games in the 2006–07 season.

### 2022 Winter Olympics

In 2022, China competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics as the host nation. Going into the tournament, they relied heavily on the development of players on the Vanke Rays team and were seen as having a real chance at making the quarterfinals. They lost their opening game to Czech Republic, before defeating the lowest ranked qualifier, Denmark, and Japan in a shootout which was enough for Japan to clinch a playoff berth. Going into their last game against Sweden, a point would have been enough to secure a quarterfinal berth, but after taking the lead, the Chinese lost 2–1 against the Swedes. They were formally eliminated after Sweden beat Denmark in the last game of Group B.

### World Championships

Only two months after the Winter Olympics, they played in the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship Division IB in Katowice, Poland. They ended up dominating the competition, scoring 38 goals in the group to secure promotion to the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship Division IA. In November 2022, they were given the hosting rights to the group. Nine months later, they would end up winning the Division IA tournament and be promoted to the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship after defeating Austria 2–0 in Shenzhen. This will be China's first appearance in the top tier since 2009.

## Tournament record
### Olympic Games

* 1998 – Finished in 4th place
* 2002 – Finished in 7th place
* 2010 – Finished in 7th place
* 2022 – Finished in 9th place

### World Championship

* 1992 – Finished in 5th place
* 1994 – Finished in 4th place
* 1997 – Finished in 4th place
* 1999 – Finished in 5th place
* 2000 – Finished in 6th place
* 2001 – Finished in 6th place
* 2003 – No result, the competition was cancelled due to SARS epidemic
* 2004 – Finished in 7th place
* 2005 – Finished in 6th place
* 2007 – Finished in 6th place
* 2008 – Finished in 8th place
* 2009 – Finished in 9th place (relegated to Division I)
* 2011 – Finished in 13th place (5th in Division I, relegated to Division IB)
* 2012 – Finished in 16th place (2nd in Division IB)
* 2013 – Finished in 18th place (4th in Division IB)
* 2014 – Finished in 16th place (2nd in Division IB)
* 2015 – Finished in 17th place (3rd in Division IB)
* 2016 – Finished in 19th place (5th in Division IB)
* 2017 – Finished in 18th place (4th in Division IB)
* 2018 – Finished in 20th place (5th in Division IB)
* 2019 – Finished in 20th place (4th in Division IB)
* 2020 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
* 2021 – Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
* 2022 – Finished in 16th place (1st in Division IB, promoted to Division IA)
* 2023 – Finished in 11th place (1st in Division IA, promoted to World Championship)
* 2024 – Finished in 9th place (relegated to Division I)

### Asian Games

* 1996 – 1st
* 1999 – 1st
* 2003 – 3rd
* 2007 – 3rd
* 2011 – 3rd
* 2017 – 2nd
* 2025 –

### IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia

* 2010 – 1st
* 2011 – 2nd
* 2012 – 2nd
* 2014 – 1st

### Pacific Rim Championship

* 1995 – 3rd
* 1996 – 3rd

## Team
### Current roster

The roster for the 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship.
Head coach: Scott Spencer
| No. | Pos. | Name | Height | Weight | Birthdate | Team |
| 2 | D | Yu Baiwei – C | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 66 kg (146 lb) | (1988-07-17) 17 July 1988 (age 36) | Kunlun Red Star |
| 7 | F | Zhang Mengying – A | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | 68 kg (150 lb) | (1993-12-22) 22 December 1993 (age 30) | Beijing |
| 9 | F | Kong Minghui | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 56 kg (123 lb) | (1992-04-21) 21 April 1992 (age 32) | Harbin |
| 10 | F | Wu Sijia | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 55 kg (121 lb) | (2007-05-19) 19 May 2007 (age 17) | Beijing |
| 12 | D | Tian Yuwei | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | (2004-05-18) 18 May 2004 (age 20) | Harbin |
| 13 | D | Zhao Qinan – A | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | (1997-08-29) 29 August 1997 (age 27) | Kunlun Red Star |
| 19 | D | Du Sijia | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | (2002-08-07) 7 August 2002 (age 22) | Beijing |
| 21 | D | Liu Siyang | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | 63 kg (139 lb) | (1995-12-21) 21 December 1995 (age 28) | Qiqihar |
| 22 | F | Meng Fangcong | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 57 kg (126 lb) | (2007-05-05) 5 May 2007 (age 17) | Sichuan |
| 23 | F | Fang Xin | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | 57 kg (126 lb) | (1994-05-10) 10 May 1994 (age 30) | Kunlun Red Star |
| 24 | F | Wang Jiaxin | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) | 56 kg (123 lb) | (2006-03-01) 1 March 2006 (age 18) | Sichuan |
| 25 | G | Wei Xueqin | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | (2000-09-10) 10 September 2000 (age 24) | Sichuan |
| 26 | F | Guan Yingying | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | (1995-09-13) 13 September 1995 (age 29) | Qiqihar |
| 28 | F | Yang Jinglei | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | 62 kg (137 lb) | (2005-07-28) 28 July 2005 (age 19) | Harbin |
| 29 | G | Zhan Jiahui | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | 75 kg (165 lb) | (2006-04-04) 4 April 2006 (age 18) | Hill-Murray School |
| 30 | G | Wang Yuqing | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | (1994-05-06) 6 May 1994 (age 30) | Kunlun Red Star |
| 66 | F | Li Qianhua | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | (2002-06-06) 6 June 2002 (age 22) | Hebei |
| 86 | F | Zhao Ziyu | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | (2007-05-16) 16 May 2007 (age 17) | Sichuan |
| 87 | F | Wang Yifan | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | 60 kg (130 lb) | (2008-03-21) 21 March 2008 (age 16) | Sichuan |
| 93 | D | Liu Zhixin | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | 78 kg (172 lb) | (1993-04-25) 25 April 1993 (age 31) | Kunlun Red Star |
| 94 | F | Wen Lu | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | (1994-04-21) 21 April 1994 (age 30) | Kunlun Red Star |
| 97 | F | Qu Yue | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | 65 kg (143 lb) | (2004-01-08) 8 January 2004 (age 20) | Harbin |
| 98 | F | Zhu Rui | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | 58 kg (128 lb) | (1998-04-23) 23 April 1998 (age 26) | Kunlun Red Star |

### Head coaches

* Yu Zaizhou, –1995
* Yao Naifeng, 1995–1999
* Zhang Zhinan, 1999–2000
* Yao Naifeng, 2000–2003
* Jan Votruba, 2003–2004
* Paul Strople, 2004–2005
* Ryan Stone, 2005–2006
* Jorma Siitarinen, 2006–2007
* Steve Carlyle, 2007–2008
* Paul Strople, 2008–2009
* Hannu Saintula [fi], 2009–2011
* Mikhail Chekanov, 2011–2012
* Wang Jingang, 2012
* Zhang Zhinan, 2013
* Wang Jingang, 2013–2015
* Rick Seeley, 2015–2019
* Brian Idalski, 2019–2022
* Scott Spencer, 2023–

## Players
### Notable players

* Guo Hong, G
* Jin Fengling, F
* Liu Hongmei (刘红梅), F
* Sun Rui, F
* Wang Linuo, F
* Yang Xiuqing (杨秀青), F

### Individual all-time records

Most games played :
| Player | Position | Time | GP |
| Sun Rui | F | 1999–13 | 46 |
| Wang Linuo | F | 1999–10 | 46 |
| Li Xuan | D | 1992–04 | 45 |
| Lu Yan | D | 1992–04 | 45 |
| Sang Hong | F | 1994–08 | 44 |
| Zhang Jing | F | 1997–07 | 44 |
| Guo Hong | G | 1992–04 | 42 |
| Liu Hongmei | F | 1992–02 | 41 |
| Jin Fengling | F | 2000–12 | 41 |
| Ma Xiaojun | F | 1997–05 | 40 |
Most goals :
| Player | Position | Time | G |
| Liu Hongmei | F | 1992–02 | 27 |
| Sun Rui | F | 1999–13 | 25 |
| Sang Hong | F | 1994–08 | 14 |
| Zhang Lan | F | 1992–99 | 9 |
| Guo Wei | F | 1992–98 | 8 |
| Jin Fengling | F | 2000–12 | 8 |
| Dang Hong | F | 1992–98 | 7 |
| Yang Xiuqing | F | 1997–02 | 7 |
| Wang Linuo | F | 1999–10 | 7 |
| Zhang Jing | F | 1997–07 | 6 |
Most points :
| Player | Position | Time | PTS |
| Liu Hongmei | F | 1992–02 | 44 |
| Sun Rui | F | 1999–13 | 39 |
| Zhang Lan | F | 1992–99 | 19 |
| Guo Wei | F | 1992–98 | 18 |
| Jin Fengling | F | 2000–12 | 18 |
| Sang Hong | F | 1994–08 | 16 |
| Dang Hong | F | 1992–98 | 15 |
| Wang Linuo | F | 1999–10 | 15 |
| Lu Yan | D | 1992–04 | 14 |
| Yang Xiuqing | F | 1997–02 | 13 |
Note: World Championships (excluding Division I) and Olympics only

## All-time record against other nations

Last match update: 11 March 2022
Key :
* Positive balance (more Wins)
* Neutral balance (Wins = Losses)
* Negative balance (more Losses)
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
| South Korea | 11 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 107 | 9 |
| North Korea | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 19 |
| Kazakhstan | 20 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 66 | 27 |
| Norway | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 15 |
| Great Britain | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Japan | 38 | 20 | 0 | 18 | 122 | 96 |
| Poland | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 4 |
| Hungary | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 15 |
| Denmark | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 19 |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Australia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Austria | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| France | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 32 |
| Slovakia | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 21 |
| Italy | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 12 |
| Czech Republic | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Netherlands | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 23 |
| Switzerland | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 43 | 44 |
| Russia | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 31 | 38 |
| Latvia | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 25 |
| Sweden | 11 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 18 | 50 |
| Germany | 21 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 62 |
| Canada | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 89 |
| Finland | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 18 | 67 |
| United States | 22 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 20 | 181 |
| Total | 261 | 105 | 12 | 144 | 760 | 861 |

## Notables
### Matches
#### First match

    20 April 1992: 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship in Tampere, Finland. Canada 8–0 China

#### Largest victory

    28 January 2003: 2003 Asian Winter Games in Misawa, Japan. China 30–1 South Korea

#### Largest defeat

    3 April 2001: 2001 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Minnesota, United States. United States 13–0 China

#### Most goals for

    28 January 2003: 2003 Asian Winter Games in Misawa, Japan. China 30–1 South Korea

#### Most goals against

    15 April 1994: 1994 IIHF Women's World Championship in Lake Placid, United States. United States 14–3 China

#### First shutout for

    8 April 1995: 1995 Pacific Rim Championships in San Jose, United States. China 5–0 Japan

#### First shutout against

    20 April 1992: 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship in Tampere, Finland. Canada 8–0 China

#### First shutout tie

    5 April 2001: 2001 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Minneapolis, United States. China 0–0 Germany

#### First win

    23 April 1992: 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship in Tampere, Finland. China 5–2 Denmark

#### First loss

    20 April 1992: 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship in Tampere, Finland. Canada 8–0 China

#### First tie

    12 April 1994: 1994 IIHF Women's World Championship in Lake Placid, United States. China 4–4 Sweden

#### Highest scoring tie

    16 February 2002: 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. China 5–5 Germany

#### Lowest scoring tie

    5 April 2001: 2001 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships in Minneapolis, United States. China 0–0 Germany

### Rankings
#### First IIHF World Ranking

    7th (2003)

#### Highest IIHF World Ranking

    7th (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010)

#### Lowest world ranking

    13th (2012)

#### First Olympic qualification attempt

    1998 Winter Olympics

#### First Olympic qualification

    1998 Winter Olympics

#### Best Olympic finish

    4th (1998 Winter Olympics)

#### Worst Olympic finish

    Did not qualify (2006 Winter Olympics)

#### First world championship competition

    1992

#### Highest world championship competition finish

    4th (1994, 1997)

#### Lowest world championship competition finish

    16th (2012)