Almost certainly manufactured during the violent "warlord" period of the Chinese Civil War. Many Chinese produced pistols of that period were based on existing European designs; with this example showing a mixture of European influence as well as domestic ingenuity. Interestingly, the pistol has been manufactured with a fake Mauser C96 style fixed magazine, but uses a detachable magazine inside the grip. This specific pistol is marked with a series of differed numbers on the slide and barrel, the frame being devoid of markings. The barrel is marked "40103", what appears to be a date of "1936", and "444", all on top around the breech. The slide is marked with the same "1936" and "444" on both sides. It is fitted with a blade front sight with a mounting point for a tangent rear sight which is now absent, and a ring style hammer similar to the Mauser C96. It is also fitted with a pair of checkered hardwood grips. This specific pistol is pictured and discussed on p. 140-141 of the book "Pistols of the Warlords: 1911-1949" by Ian McCollum.