China

China is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populated country. Beijing is the capital, and Shanghai is the largest city.

History of hockey in China
The first ice hockey games in China took place in 1915. The first tournament took place at the 1935 Chinese Winter Spartakiade.

The Chinese Ice Hockey Association, founded in 1951, acts as the governing body of ice hockey in the country. China joined the IIHF on July 25, 1963.

The national championship has been contested annually since 1953. One Chinese team, China Dragon, participates in the multi-national Asia League, which also has teams from Japan and South Korea. China has had a team participating in the Asia League since the 2004-05 season.

The men's national team made its debut at the 1972 World Championship Pool C. The team has mostly participated in the lower pools of the World Championships, and has never participated at the Olympic Games. China won gold at the Asian Winter Games in 1986 and 1990.

The women's national team has enjoyed greater success at the Women's World Championships, regularly participating in the top division until being relegated to Division I in 2009. They finished in fourth place in 1994 and 1997 after losing the bronze medal game to Finland both years. They participated in the Olympics in 1998, 2002, and 2010, with their best finish being fourth place in 1998. They won gold at the Asian Winter Games in 1996 and 1999, and at the IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia in 2010.

The men's national junior team first participated at the World Junior Championship Group C in 1986. They did not participate again until 2004 after their first appearance. The U18 team won the gold medal at the 1988 IIHF Asian-Oceanic Championships.