Many players have featured in the Chinese Super League since its inception in 2004, with some having the distinction of being record breakers.
From most appearances in the league to top goalscorers, there have been some exceptionally prolific and prominent players in the league’s two-decade history.
Among those are players who have demonstrated exceptional longevity, being able to play at the top level far beyond the usual limitations that age tends to bring in a player’s career.
But who are the players who hold the title of the oldest to have ever played a Chinese Super League match? Who did they play for? How old were they at the time?
Here are the five oldest players to have ever played in Chinese Super League history.
5. Wu Qing
The first player to appear on this list is former left winger Wu Qing, whose professional playing career began back in 2002 with hometown club Chongqing Lifan, who were then playing in the Jia-A League.
Over the next nine years, Wu Qing established himself as a prominent player in the side and made 184 total appearances for the club, who bounced between the top tier and second tier, before he made a move to Dalian A’erbin ahead of the 2011 season.
His time in Dalian only last for two seasons, where he made just 26 total appearances, before he returned to Chongqing and effectively picked up from where he left off.
He continued to play for the club until making his final appearance on January 3rd 2022 in a 2-1 home loss to Wuhan Yangtze River.
The match marked the date he became one of the oldest players in Chinese League history, playing the match at the age of 40 years, 5 months and 30 days old.
He joined the lower league side Chongqing Tonglianglong, playing a few matches for the side before hanging up his boots and becoming an assistant coach alongside manager Salva Suay – a role he still holds at the time of writing.
4. Rolando Schiavi
Next on the list was, at one time, the oldest player to have played in China’s top league, holding the record for over six years.
Rolando Schiavi also holds the distinction of being the only non-Chinese player to appear on this list.
The Argentine centre back, capped four times for his country back in 2009, joined Shanghai Shenhua in 2013 after a hugely successful career in both Argentina and Brazil with the likes of Boca Juniors, Newell’s Old Boys and Grêmio.
Unfortunately, his time in China’s largest city came at a time when Shenhua were struggling and languishing around mid-table. Schiavi featured in 26 Chinese Super League matches for the team in blue, making his final appearance for the club on October 30th that year.
That match was a 2-1 home win against Changchun Yatai, with Schiavi taking to the pitch at the ripe old age of 40 years, 9 months and 12 days.
3. Zhou Ting
The third player on this list was the one who broke Schiavi’s record over six years after he last played in China, Zhou Ting.
Zhou Ting had a lengthy career in China, playing in the lower leagues before featuring regularly for Yunnan Hongta in the old Jia-A League between 2000 and 2003.
From there, he made single season appearances for Qingdao Hainiu and Shenzhen Jianlibao before moving to Beijing Guoan in 2006. He became a regular in the side that would eventually win the Chinese Super League title in 2009.
Zhou Ting left Beijing after the 2016 season, joining then-China League One side Dalian Yifang. He helped guide the team to promotion in his debut season, winning the second-tier title, before featuring often in the top tier over two seasons in 2018 and 2019.
It was December 1st 2019 when Zhou Ting would last kick a ball, featuring in a 2-0 home win for Dalian against Beijing Renhe aged 40 years, 9 months and 26 days to claim the top spot on this list.
2. Zheng Zhi
Zhou Ting’s record would last a couple of seasons until Guangzhou Evergrande’s Zheng Zhi eclipsed him during the 2021 season.
One of the most successful players in Chinese history, Zheng Zhi has the rare accolade of having won the Chinese Super League with three different clubs in his career: Shenzhen, Shandong Taishan and Guangzhou.
He was also one of the few Chinese stars to make the move over to England in the early 2000s, playing for Charlton Athletic between 2007 and 2009. He moved to Scottish side Celtic for a season before making his way back home, joining the last club he would play with for the next 12 years.
His career felt almost never-ending as he defied age and continued to be a key player for both club and country, earning his 108th and last cap for China in 2019.
However, that fateful did finally arrive on January 1st 2022. Aged 41 years, 4 months and 12 days old, Zheng Zhi took to the pitch for one last time in a 2-0 victory for Guangzhou over Changchun Yatai.
This would see him extend the record by almost seven months and keep the honour until the latest entrant on this list broke it not too long ago.
1. Sui Weijie
The record for the oldest player in Chinese Super League history is one that has the potential to continue to increase, as it was set this year by a player who is likely to play regularly throughout 2025.
Sui Weijie is currently the starting goalkeeper for Dalian Yingbo, who are playing their debut campaign in China’s top tier, and he holds the distinction of being the oldest player in the league currently, as well as all-time at 42 years old.
In fact, Sui Weijie set the record in week one of the 2025 season, but has continued to extend the record, with his most recent appearance coming in a 2-0 away loss to Chengdu Rongcheng.
This match was held on 6th April, which was Sui Weijie’s 42nd birthday. The record is likely to be extended by many months once the 2025 season concludes, assuming Sui Weijie holds his place between the sticks throughout the entire campaign.
His lengthy playing career, which began back in 2002 with Harbin Lange, has seen the Dalian, Liaoning native playing across the Chinese football pyramid, while also experiencing a five-year spell in Hong Kong.
Chongqing Lifan were the club he spent the most time with in his career, playing over 100 league matches for the club between 2014 and 2020.
He played a key role in Dalian Yingbo’s promotion-winning season in China League One in 2024 and has retained his place, allowing him to easily break a record that he will undoubtedly hold for many years to come now.