The wreckage of the Jingyuan cruiser, a warship of the Beiyang Fleet, which was sunk by the Japanese navy during the first Sino-Japanese War more than 100 years ago, has been discovered in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

It is another triumph for China’s underwater archaeological team, following the discovery of the wreckage of its sister vessel Zhiyuan in 2014.

Chinese characters “jing” and “yuan” found on a plate of the vessel

Two Chinese characters “jing” and “yuan” were found on a plate of the vessel, allowing the team to confirm that it was the wreck of the Jingyuan.

The Jingyuan, built by the German shipbuilding company Bremer Vulkan AG, was a modern warship in the Qing Dynasty Beiyang Fleet, defeated by the Japanese navy in the Battle of the Yellow Sea in September 1894.

Additionally, the team salvaged over 500 items from the wreck over the last two months, including parts of the warship’s structure, weaponry equipment as well as some tools.

Chinese characters “jing” found on the vessel

The discovery is of great significance for the research of China’s modern history, development of the Chinese Navy, and provides valuable materials for research of world warship history. 

Chinese characters “yuan” found on the vessel