The General Liu rifle was a semi-automatic rifle named after its inventor and the first Superintendent of the Hanyang Arsenal, General Liu Qing En (1869–1929), as the rifle never received any other designation. It was one of the first Chinese semi-automatic rifles. The rifle used a muzzle "gas-trap" system similar to the Bang rifle. The rifle's method of operation could be switched from gas to straight-pull bolt action by rotating counterclockwise the cylinder located on the muzzle, to revert to gas-operated reloading the cylinder had to be rotated back (clockwise). The stock had a compartment for cleaning tools.