Beginning with the 1995–96 season, the
International Skating Union (ISU) launched the
Champions Series, which was later renamed the
Grand Prix Series. At its inception, this consisted of five qualifying competitions and the
Champions Series Final. This allowed skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters with whom they would later compete at the World Championships. This series also provided the viewing public with additional televised skating, which was in high demand.
Timothy Goebel of the United States won this inaugural men's event,
Elena Liashenko of Ukraine won the women's event,
Shen Xue and
Zhao Hongbo of China won the pairs event, and
Tatiana Navka and
Roman Kostomarov of Russia won the ice dance event. Finland hosted a replacement event, the
Grand Prix of Helsinki, instead. Due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, a number of modifications were made to the structure of the
2020 Cup of China, with only skaters from China permitted to compete. On 9 July 2020, the
General Administration of Sport of China announced that no international sporting events would be held in China in 2020 except for test events for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The ISU announced on 13 July that the 2020 Cup of China would be held as scheduled due to its connection to the Beijing test event, the
Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. On 29 October 2020, the Chinese Skating Association announced that the Cup of China would be held with no audience presence. The 2021 Cup of China, originally scheduled to be held in
Chongqing, was cancelled because of travel and quarantine restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 21 July 2022, it was confirmed that the
2022 Cup of China was cancelled due to China's ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions. The
MK John Wilson Trophy in
Sheffield, England, in the United Kingdom, served as its replacement. The
2026 Cup of China is scheduled to be held from 6 to 8 November in
Shenzhen. ==Medalists ==