Jianlibao Group (健力宝集团) is a soft drink producer based in Foshan, Guangdong, China which was established in 1984. In the 1990s, The Jianlibao drink was one of the best sellers in China, at par with Coca-Cola and Pepsihttp://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200504/01/eng20050401_179020.html. However, poor management and stiff competition led to a total debt of more than 1 billion Renminbi yuan (US$121 million) in 2005.
Under Zhanghai, Jianlibao was the sponsor of the Shenzhen Jianlibao football club between 2002 and 2005, who won the China Super League title in 2004.
On April 25, 1992, the Chinese Football Association and Jianlibao Group signed an agreement to formally put the establishment of Jianlibao Youth Football Team on the agenda. In the same year, young athletes from 1977 to 1978 were selected in Tianjin and Dalian. More than 80 selected people went to Beijing for the second round of screening, and then more than 40 people were selected for winter training and final selection in Wuzhou. The final 22 people went to Beijing in 1993 and flew from Beijing to Sao Paulo, Brazil in November.