Liu passed the imperial civil service examination in 1860 and obtained jinshi, the highest degree.

After obtaining his degree, Liu Bingzhang began his career at the prestigious Hanlin Academy, but was soon sent to the battlefields to help stamp out the Taiping Rebellion.

In 1875, he was appointed Governor (xunfu) of Jiangxi Province, but resigned in 1878 in order to return home and fulfill his filial duty for his elderly mother.

The Christian missionaries complained that he was not effectively punishing the rioters, and under the pressure of Britain, the Qing court stripped Liu of his position in 1895.

[6] In 2011, a memorial park was opened in his hometown Wanshan (万山镇), Lujiang County, Anhui Province, to honor his 185th birthday.