 After that disappointment the club hired former Chinese national team coach Xu Genbao in the hopes that his experience could revive the club's fortunes and one of his first acts was to persuade the then current Chinese international footballer Gao Hongbo to take a step down in leagues and join the club.This move would be a huge success and the club gained promotion back into the top tier in their first attempt.In the 1998 league season Xu Genbao left the club to manage the reigning league champions Dalian Wanda F.C., which saw the club bring in Brazilian coach Edson Tavares.