Since being established in 2004, many long-lasting, memorable players have graced the Chinese Super League with hundreds of appearances.
Some players have the distinction of playing hundreds of matches for a single team, while others were considered journeymen and featured for a number of teams at the top of the Chinese football pyramid.
With no Chinese Super League action until Spring 2025, here’s a list of the top-five all-time appearance makers in the league – so far!
5. Yang Zhi
First up on our list is a player synonymous with Beijing Guoan, the club he made all 350 of his Chinese Super League appearances for between 2005 and 2019 when he finally hung up his gloves: Yang Zhi.
Yang Zhi, born in Guangzhou, began his professional career with Guangdong Xiongying, featuring in 48 league matches between 2003 and 2004, playing in the Jia-B/China League One.
His strong performances attracted the interest of Beijing Guoan, who brought him into the side in 2005 and never looked back.
He was the first choice right out of the gate and helped the team to the 2009 Chinese Super League title – being named in the league’s Team of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
He became a mainstay in the China National Team, earning 38 caps for his country and helping them to the 2010 East Asian Championship.
Unfortunately, later in his career, he suffered a serious injury that ultimately ruled him out long-term. He last played in the 2017 season for Beijing and chose to retire two years later when his contract expired.
After retiring from playing, Yang Zhi has remained involved in football as a goalkeeper coach. He has worked with the China Under-19 National Team and this year joined the coaching staff of former Beijing Guoan teammate Shao Jiayi at Chinese Super League side Qingdao West Coast – helping them to 10th in the league in their debut season.
4. Gao Lin
A player who has appeared on the Chinese Super League’s top all-time scorers list and has had the second-most appearances for the China National Team, Gao Lin is undoubtedly one of the most consistent and successful Chinese players of the 21st century.
Beginning his career with a handful of appearances for Shanghai Shenhua in 2005, Gao Lin helped the club to the A3 Champions Cup in 2007 before moving to Guangzhou Evergrande ahead of the 2010 season.
He would dominate the second tier with Guangzhou, netting 20 times and guiding them to the China League One title, and would go on to play a key role in the club’s unstoppable dynasty through the 2010s.
Eight Chinese Super League titles, two AFC Champions Leagues and multiple other cups followed before Gao Lin moved to fellow southern Chinese club Shenzhen in 2020. He played three seasons with the club before an injury kept him out of the 2023 season, subsequently seeing him retire at the end of the year.
Across his three different club spells, Gao Lin racked up 365 appearances in the league, with more than 510 total appearances across all competitions – seeing him sit fourth-most in league history.
3. Wu Xi
Next up on this list is a player who is still playing and could very well find himself climbing higher if he can play at least 20 matches in 2025: Wu Xi.
The 35-year-old from Shijiazhuang, Hebei, has spent spells at two clubs in the Chinese Super League, with Shanghai Shenhua twice along with a lengthy time with Jiangsu Suning. He began his career with his local club, Hebei Tiangong, in 2008 before joining Shenhua in 2010.
There, he played a key role in midfield before joining Jiangsu in 2013, where he would spend the next eight seasons and claim all domestic honours available. He lifted the Chinese Super Cup in 2013, two years later it was the Chinese FA Cup and in 2020 he guided the club to their first, and only, league title.
Jiangsu ultimately dissolved after parent club Suning opted to pull funding, which saw him make a return to Shenhua, where he has continued to enjoy domestic success.
The club won the 2023 Chinese FA Cup and the 2024 Chinese Super Cup with Wu Xi in the side and they even made a run at the league, falling at the last hurdle and finishing second behind city rivals Shanghai Port.
At the time of writing, Wu Xi has earned 373 league appearances and if he continues to feature regularly for Shenhua, he will likely climb at least one more place on this list by the end of the 2025 season.
2. Wang Dalei
The only other currently active player on this list is likely to leapfrog top spot early in 2025, as he sits just five appearances behind the leader.
Wang Dalei is one of the best-known players in Chinese football, captaining both Shandong Taishan and the China National Team, and has been one of the best performing goalkeepers in the Middle Kingdom for almost two decades.
The Dalian, Liaoning native began his career playing at youth level for Dalian Tielu, which became Shaoxing Keqiao Yuejia before dissolving in 2022.
He moved to Shanghai United ahead of the 2006 Chinese Super League season, playing 21 matches en route to a seventh place finish in the league. Unfortunately, the club dissolved before the 2007 season and Wang Dalei found himself without a club.
Fortunately, he was picked up by Shanghai Shenhua and had a fruitful seven seasons with the cub – guiding them to the A3 Champions Cup in his debut season. The club finished second and third during his time with them before results dropped and they struggled to stay in the top 10 in the early 2010s.
Wang Dalei moved to Shandong Taishan for the 2014 season, where he still plays to this day. He has been instrumental in the club’s domestic successes over the past decade, lifting the Chinese FA Cup four times (2014, 2020, 2021 and 2022) along with the 2021 Chinese Super League and 2015 Chinese Super Cup.
Overlooked for places in the China National Team early in his career, Wang Dalei made his debut for Team Dragon in 2012 and has amassed 39 caps for his country so far – with more expected as he has established himself as the preferred choice in recent years.
In total, Wang has played in 388 league fixtures, all in the Chinese Super League, and after just six more appearances he will take the top spot on this list.
1. Wang Song
Finally on this list, albeit for only a few more months, is the all-time record holder for most appearances in Chinese Super League history, Wang Song.
Wang Song was something of a journeyman throughout his career, playing for nine different clubs across the top three leagues in the Middle Kingdom. He had impressive longevity, beginning his career in 2001 and playing right up until 2024.
He was never one of the best players in China, making just nine appearances for the National Team, but the Guiyang, Guizhou native was consistent enough to play regularly in the heart of midfield for the likes of Jiangsu Suning, Chengdu Blades, Sichuan Jiuniu and Nantong Zhiyun across his career.
In total, he racked up 393 total appearances in the Chinese Super League, with 624 appearances across all competitions and other leagues making him one of the most present players in recent history.
Unfortunately, his career came to an end recently in disappointing fashion as he received a five-year ban from the sport in China for gambling and match-fixing charges, meaning he will no longer be seen on a football pitch in his home country at the age of 41.