HC Kunlun Red Star was a Chinese professional ice hockey club based in Beijing that joined the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the 2016-17 season. The club was founded in 2016, and its visual identity centered on a dragon and a red five-pointed star, two symbols with deep resonance in Chinese culture. In August 2025, the club was officially renamed Shanghai Dragons, marking the end of the Kunlun Red Star identity.
Design and History
The Kunlun Red Star logo went through a rapid evolution before the club’s debut season. An initial design, which featured a dragon placed over a red star, drew criticism after observers noted a strong resemblance to dragon artwork from the video game Guild Wars 2. The club subsequently released a new logo in July 2016 that retained the dragon and red star but was not a copy of the game artwork.[1]
According to Russian sports media, the logo actually changed twice during the summer of 2016. An intermediate version featured only a red star and the team name, but management then decided to add the dragon back as a symbol of strength, prosperity and wisdom.[2] The final version, unveiled in late July 2016, combined the dragon with the red star.[3]
Chinese state media described the logo’s combination of dragon and star as representing the union of an ancient spiritual totem of the Chinese nation with the will of modern endeavor.[4] The club’s official colors were listed as red, yellow and white.[5]
The club’s jerseys, unveiled in July 2016, featured a red, white and deep yellow color scheme with a distinctive sketch-like image of the Great Wall of China running along the bottom hem.[6]
In August 2025, the club announced a full rebrand. HC Kunlun Red Star was renamed Shanghai Dragons, with a new logo, new primary colors and a new brand philosophy. The club stated that the dragon would remain the team’s symbol.[7] The new club colors were announced as turquoise, yellow and red.[8]
Meaning and Symbolism
The dragon was the central element of the Kunlun Red Star identity. In Chinese culture, the dragon is a traditional symbol of strength and good fortune, and one of the four legendary celestial creatures of Chinese cosmology, representing the eastern direction.[8] The red star referenced both the club name and the five-pointed star found on the Chinese national flag.[4]
The club’s name referenced the Kunlun Mountains, one of the largest mountain systems in Asia, located in China and extending from the Pamir Mountains to the Tibetan Plateau.[5]
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