Playing in the 55,000-seat Helong Stadium in Changsha, the club had international players – Fu Bin and Srđan Bajčetić – while the youth team called Xiangxue Pharmaceutical participated in the 2004–05 Hong Kong First Division League to gain experience.
It was soon discovered that the club were in financial difficulties due to an excessive wage bill for their players along with renting of Helong Stadium.
[4] The ownership of the club moved to the company Bailong and their general manager Sun Yingui for a brief period.
He and his players reached a breaking point after a humiliating 5–1 defeat to Shanghai Yungtay on June 18, 2005, in a Chinese FA Cup game.
Li Hui publicly criticized his players' lack of commitment before deciding to leave the club.