In 1997, as Shenhua set a long-term policy of hiring foreign head coaches, Xu Genbao left Shenhua and led Guangzhou Songri, which had just been relegated to League A and B. Before the start of the season, Xu Genbao made an astonishing promise that he would never be a coach again if he failed to make it to Class A. As a result, he led the team back to the top league in one year. However, the Songri team was 2 points behind Henan Jianye before the final round. Therefore, thanks to the special care of referee Liu Qingwei, Henan Jianye's three foreign players were all suspended in the penultimate game and even suspended in the last game. In the last game, Henan Jianye, which had no foreign aid, was tied with Shanghai Yuyuan, and Songri was promoted to Class A. When Xu Genbao learned the news when he was surrounded by the crowd on the court, he said the famous saying "Thank God, Thank Earth, Thank People".