However, Chengdu suffered a 3-2 defeat to Shandong Taishan in Jinan, while Dalian delivered the result they needed at home.
Both Dalian and Chengdu finished the season on 52 points, but Dalian claimed the championship on their superior head-to-head record, having beaten Chengdu in both league meetings.
The victory completed a five-match winning streak for Dalian and an extraordinary turnaround in the title race.
Elsewhere, Beijing Guo'an beat Chongqing Tonglianglong 1-0 at home to finish third.
At the other end of the table, Wuhan Three Towns and Qingdao Hainiu finished in the bottom two positions and were relegated from the CSL.
