The team was founded in 2021 as Dalian Duxing Football Club (Chinese: 大连读行足球俱乐部).

At the beginning of the 2023 season, the team changed to a neutralised name Dalian Zhixing Football Club (Chinese: 大连智行足球俱乐部), as requested by the Chinese Football Association,[4] and signed more players from Dalian.

However, the investors of the team, the Dalian Shanhai Group, were involved in illegal fundraising cases.

[9] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.