The host, still reeling from a 1-2 shock defeat to bottom side Xiamen Lions, had a lackluster first half, giving a punchless display against another league minnow.

After the break, Shenhua stepped up its offense, with Wang Ke breaking the stalemate in the 55th minute. The midfielder's volley from 20 meters out took a deflection off a Qingdao defender's leg, traveled on a weird curve and hit home in the top right corner.

The team's second came in an even more impressive manner. Left winger Cheng Liang, a rare name on Shenhua's scorer list, produced a volley in the same area on the hour mark. No deflection this time. The ball found the net straight away.

Shenhua rose to fifth in the table with 29 points. Shandong Luneng extended its lead at the top to 11 points after a 3-1 win over Shanghai United FC on Saturday. It has 42 points.

Beijing, 2-0 winner over Shenzhen Kingway, sits in second place.

Elsewhere, 10-man Dalian Shide outscored Changchun Yatai 3-2; International Xi'an thrashed Wuhan Guanggu 3-0; Xiamen Lions edged Chong-qing Lifan 1-0 and Tianjin Teda beat Shenyang Ginde 2-0.