The DF, what stands for “Dōngfēng” (East Wind), was the first diesel-electric mainline locomotive built in China. Its two prototypes were completed in 1958 and were basically copies of the Soviet ТЭ3 (TE3). The engines were also the same ten-cylinder opposed-piston two-stroke with 2.000 hp. Like the ТЭ3, the Chinese locomotives only had one cab and were supposed to operate in pairs. The top speed was 100 km/h for use in mixed service.

Series production only started in 1964 and engine output had been reduced to 1,800 hp. After 704 DF, production switched to the DF3 with a top speed of 120 km/h. By 1974, a total of 226 DF3 had been built. Additionally, a prototype for plateau service with 3,000 hp had been built in 1969, bringing the total to 933. Although designed to be operated in pairs, most DF and DF3 could be seen as single locomotives. The service life with China Railway ended in the late nineties. Three were sold to Vietnam as D16E and others came to industrial operators, the last ones were retired in 2008.