1On March 2, 996, Shandong Taishan Football Club signed a contract with Jinan General Tobacco (Group) Co., Ltd., and Shandong Jinan Taishan General Football Club was established. Accordingly, the team was renamed Shandong Jinan Taishan Football Corps. 1996 and 1997, the league provided 6.5 million funds every year. With the sponsorship of Jinan municipal government, the economic situation of the team improved. In order to strengthen the team's midfield, Taishan, Jinan, Shandong introduced midfielder Sun Xiaodong from Dalian Shunfa, a second-rate team, which changed the situation that the team was all composed of Shandong players, and Sun Xiaodong became the first domestic helper in Taishan's history.