China made its world championship debut in 1972 in Pool C. The team experienced its golden era during the 1980s, achieving its best-ever result at the world championship by finishing 15th in 1982.[2]
Team China began to decline in the early 1990s, struggling with an aging core, lack of replacements, and decreasing government support as the country shifted toward a market-based sports system. China soon dropped to Division IIB (the fifth tier) and spent years ranked between 35th and 40th in the world. [3]
At the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China participated in the men’s ice hockey tournament as the host nation, earning an automatic berth despite being ranked just 38th in the IIHF World Ranking at the time of the hosting rights award. In preparation for the Olympic tournament, China naturalized 15 players – 11 of whom were of Chinese descent. [4] While the team failed to earn a single point, it impressed by narrowly losing 2–3 to Germany, the defending Olympic silver medalist. [5]
Beginning in 2023, the Chinese Ice Hockey Association moved away from naturalized players and committed to building a roster of domestic talent. The rejuvenated squad has managed to stay in Division IB for two consecutive years and, in November 2024, took part in the inaugural IIHF Asia Championship. [6]