When the BMP-1, one of the most influential infantry fighting vehicle designs, was fielded by the Soviet Army in early 1970s, China was in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.

China did not begin any development of infantry fighting vehicles during the 1970s, and kept using armored personnel carriers of earlier designs.

The Chinese realized that the armed force required new armored supporting vehicles to protect its mechanized infantry into battle.

[3] In the 1970s and 1980s, through providing maintenance service for the Egyptian Army, the state-owned defense manufacturer Norinco acquired the export variant of BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle from Egypt in 1980,[4] which was then reverse-engineered.

A total of about 1,000 vehicles were equipped, concentrated in the mechanized units of the Group Armies in the northern part of mainland China.