It resembles in many ways an enlarged version of the Luhu-class destroyer, and is one of the first PLAN ships with a slope-sided hull to reduce radar signature.

The Shenzhen was intended to be an experimental vessel with improvements over the Luhu class in terms of modular construction and stealth.

The Type 051B also employed stealth construction techniques which resulted in a smaller radar cross section in comparison to its predecessor.

In 2004, the ship received its mid-life modernization refit, with its original 100 mm main gun and the HQ-7 air defense missile system being replaced by improved models.

Shenzhen visited Kochi, India for four days in August 2009, after deployment in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy operations.

[3][4] The Type 382 replaced the Type 381 singe-faced phased-array radar, and moved from the aft to the forward mast to remove the blind arc it previously exhibited, the quarterdeck was fully enclosed, and new apertures were added in the transom indicating that torpedo decoy and towed array sonar systems have been added; a variable depth sonar has not been installed.