NORINCO Type 59

In 1950, the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance. Through the alliance, the PRC received the technology for the Soviet T-54A tank to use in developing its own vehicles. The resulting Type 59 tank entered mass production in 1957 at Baotou Tank Plant, Inner Mongolia, with a total of 6,000 vehicles manufactured by 1987.