Hangzhou Greentown

Hangzhou Greentown are a Chinese football club from Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, founded in 1998 by the Greentown Real Estate Group. Known as the Green Giants, they competed in the Chinese Super League and were among the more successful provincial clubs in Chinese football during the 2000s and 2010s. The club has since rebranded as Zhejiang Greentown and then Zhejiang Professional FC, but the Hangzhou Greentown identity remains the most fondly remembered chapter in their story.

Founded on 14 January 1998 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, the club competed as Hangzhou Greentown in the Chinese Super League before rebranding to Zhejiang Greentown in 2018 and later Zhejiang Professional FC. Green is their defining colour, earning the nickname the Green Giants.

Green is the colour that runs through every chapter of this club's history, from Hangzhou Greentown through to their later incarnations. The green home shirts worn during their Chinese Super League campaigns are the most celebrated in the club's history. Each rebrand has maintained the green as the visual constant, reflecting both the Greentown corporate identity and the lush landscape of Zhejiang Province. For fans of Chinese football, a Hangzhou Greentown shirt is a piece of history from an era when Chinese club football was finding its commercial ambitions.