China - Shanghai Honours before 1949


Football in Shanghai

The two leading footballing cities in China before the Communist Revolution of 1949 were Shanghai and Hong Kong. Football in Shanghai was largely an expatriate concern, and the clubs were run by and for foreigners. Certain teams were military units, still others represented specific foreign nationalities in Shanghai (ie AS Française, for the French, or Lusitano, from the Portuguese community). Chinese clubs were first admitted into the main Shanghai championship in the 1926/27 season.

The 1931/32 season was interrupted because of the Japanese bombardment of the city in December 1931. This led to the withdrawal of the Chinese teams that season. The Japanese invaded Shanghai in late 1941, which led to the end of significant expat participation in football. After 1945, most of the foreign clubs withdrew and formed their own league.


League

Originally played for the Dewar Shield until the twelfth victory of the 
Shanghai Recreation Club in 1928/29. The Shield was then awarded to the 
Club, and replaced by the Shaforce Shield.

1907/08  Shanghai FC
1908/09  Recreation Club 
1909/10  Recreation Club
1910/11  Recreation Club
1911/12  Recreation Club
1912/13  Recreation Club
1913/14  Recreation Club
1914/15  Recreation Club
1915/16  Shanghai FC
1916/17  Shanghai FC
1917/18  Recreation Club
1918/19    not played
1919/20  Shanghai FC
1920/21  Recreation Club
1921/22  Shanghai FC
1922/23  Recreation Club
1923/24  Recreation Club
1924/25  Shanghai FC
1925/26  Shanghai FC
1926/27  Police
1927/28  Loh Hwa
1928/29  Recreation Club
1929/30  Wiltshire Regiment
1930/31  Police
1931/32  Lincolnshire Regiment
1932/33  Tung Hwa
1933/34  AS Française
1934/35  Tung Hwa
1935/36  AS Française
1936/37  AS Française
1937/38  AS Française
1938/39  Seaforth Regiment
1939/40  Li Do
1940/41  Police
1941/42    not completed
1942/43    Lian Nee and Italian Navy shared
1943/44  Tung Hwa
1944/45  Lusitano
1945/46  Tsing Peh  
1946/47  Tsing Peh
1947/48    Tsing Peh and Tung Hwa shared
1948/49  Tsing Peh

CNAAF Shanghai League

This league was organised by the Chinese National Amateur Athletics 
Federation for Chinese teams in Shanghai (none of whom had been admitted 
to the Shanghai League). After the first Chinese teams were admitted 
by the Shanghai FA in 1926/27, the league began to decline in importance 
and was dominated by university teams from 1928/29 onwards. It was 
discontinued after 1936/37 and the Japanese attack on China.

1924/25  Union
1925/26  Union
1926/27  Loh Hwa
1927/28  Loh Hwa
1928/29  Fuh Tan
1929/30  Hu Kiang
1930/31  Chen Ju
1931/32  Youth
1932/33  Fuh Tan
1933/34  Yo Yo
1934/35    Fuh Tan & Chen Ju
1935/36    undecided
1936/37    Fuh Tan & Chin Teh

Skottowe Cup

Named after an earlier pioneer of football in Shanghai, Mr. Ernest Skottowe. 
Replaced by the Mayor's Cup for the 1943/44 season.

1902/03  Engineers
1903/04  Shanghai FC
1904/05  Shanghai FC
1905/06  Shanghai FC
1906/07  'A' Company Shanghai Volunteer Corps
1907/08  'A' Company Shanghai Volunteer Corps
1908/09  'A' Company Shanghai Volunteer Corps 
1909/10  Recreation Club
1910/11  'A' Company Shanghai Volunteer Corps
1911/12  Shanghai FC
1912/13  Recreation Club                       1-0 Shanghai FC
1913/14  Shanghai FC
1914/15  Recreation Club
1915/16  Recreation Club
1916/17  Recreation Club
1917/18  Police
1918/19  Recreation Club
1919/20  Recreation Club
1920/21  Police
1921/22  Shanghai FC
1922/23  Recreation Club
1923/24  Recreation Club
1924/25  Shanghai FC
1925/26  Shanghai FC
1926/27  Shanghai FC                       4-4 2-1 Portuguese SA
1927/28  Beds & Herts Regiment                 2-1 St Francis Xavier's
1928/29  Recreation Club
1929/30  Shanghai FC
1930/31  Police                                5-4 Shanghai FC
1931/32    not completed
1932/33  Argyll Regiment
1933/34  Police                                2-0 Tung Hwa
1934/35  Tung Hwa
1935/36  Tung Hwa
1936/37  AS Français
1937/38  Durham Light Infantry
1938/39  Li Do                                 4-3 Police
1939/40  Li Do
1940/41  Thomas Hanbury Public School
1941/42  St Francis Xavier's
1942/43  St Francis Xavier's
1943/44  Tung Hwa
1944/45  Chiao Lien
1945/46  Tsing Peh  
1946/47  Tsing Peh
1947/48  Tsing Peh
1948/49  Railways

Shanghai FA Cup

1927/28  Loh Hwa                               2-1 Navy
1928/29  Recreation Club
1929/30  Worcester Regiment                    3-2 Wiltshire Regiment
1930/31  Police
1931/32    not completed

Shanghai International Cup

Played for the Skottowe-Prentice Cup between teams representing the nationalities 
in Shanghai. The local Chinese players first entered a team in 1924/25.

A similar tournament was played in Hongkong.

1908/09  Scotland
1909/10  England
1910/11  England
1911/12  Ireland
1912/13  England
1913/14  England
1914/15  England
1915/16  England
1916/17  England
1917/18  England
1918/19  England
1919/20  England
1920/21  England
1921/22  England
1922/23  England
1923/24  Scotland
1924/25  Scotland
1925/26  Scotland
1926/27  Scotland                              5-3 Portugal
1927/28  England                           4-2 aet China
1928/29  Portugal
1929/30  China
1930/31  China
1931/32   not completed
1932/33  Scotland
1933/34  England
1934/35  China
1935/36  China
1936/37  Portugal
1937/38  England
1938/39  Portugal
1939/40  Portugal
1940/41  Portugal

Note

 
There were a number of Chinese clubs over the years, often created by local 
entrepreneurs and lasting only a few years. The names of these clubs were 
written in Chinese characters, and the transliterations used then do not 
necessarily correspond to those used now. Below is a list of names of leading 
clubs with the present Pinyin transliteration, and a rough English translation.

Name                    Pinyin          English

Loh Hwa                 Le Hua          Happy China
Tung Hwa                Dong Hua        East China
Li Do                   Li Du           Beautiful City
Lian Nee                Lian Yi  	Joined in Friendship
Chiao Lien              Qiao Lian       Countrymen Together
Tsing Peh               Qing Bai        Young Whites


About this document

Sources: [Kni 91], Zhongguo Zuqiu Yundongshi (Chinese Football History), Shanghai Ban Shiji Zuqiu Yundongshi (A Half Century of Shanghai Football)

Prepared and maintained by Tom Lewis for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Tom Lewis (Tom.Lewis@btinternet.com)
Last updated: 20 Apr 2023

(C) Copyright Tom Lewis and RSSSF 2000/23
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.