Jingyuan was one of two armored cruisers ordered by Quing China in 1884 from Germany. Laid down 1 January, 1885, she completed three years later. Assigned to the Beiyang Fleet, Jingyuan had a short active career. She visited Vladivostok in 1889, and Singapore in 1894, but was taken out in the early stages of the Sino-Japanese War. During the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September, 1894, Jingyuan was unable to assist her sister ship Laiyuan as the Japanese warships set her afire. Jingyuan was then taken under fire for an hour before she capsized and exploded during a ram attempt, taking all but seven of her 270 crew down with her.