In 1983, a licensing agreement was signed for Hitachi manufacturing technology for motors and motor control devices for subway cars for Beijing Subway Line 1.

Although a subway built with technical aid from the USSR already existed in Beijing, the subway cars and power system were outdated and incapable of high-speed operation.

The Chinese government formulated a subway network development plan as part of a basic plan for urban remodeling in Beijing, and the decision was made to introduce modern subway cars and power units from Japan.

The motors were manufactured at site 053 (Xiangtan Prefecture, Hunan Province), while the control units were manufactured at factory 052 (Yongji, Shanxi Province), belonging to the railway department.