China have been competing in the FIVB World League on and off ever since the inaugural edition in 1990, though they still have some way to go to match their women’s national team achievements, internationally.
China’s best World League finish was back in 1996, when they made the Final Six in Rotterdam but dropped all their matches there to rank sixth overall. More recently, China rejoined the World League in 2013 after a three-year absence, to take part in Group 3. They qualified for the group’s Final Four in 2015, finishing fourth after a five-set defeat to Slovakia in the bronze medal game, but were eventually promoted to Group 2 for 2016, when they finished sixth in the group (19th overall) on a 4-5 record.
China have competed twice in the Olympic Games, their latest outing as hosts in Beijing 2008 where they ranked fifth. They have consistently represented Asia in the FIVB World Championship – their best results being seventh place in both 1978 and 1982. They ranked 15th in the last edition in Poland in 2014. At continental level China have won three gold medals at the Asian Games (1986, 1990 and 1998) and have been crowned Asian champions in 1979, 1997 and 1999