Ding Ruchang - Sino-Japanese War

Sino-Japanese War

During the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, Ding pushed for a direct confrontation with the Imperial Japanese Navy, but was ordered by Beijing not to operate east of the mouth of the Yalu River, for fear that China’s prized modern warships would be damaged or destroyed. However, this is what happened at the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894, during which Ding lost five of the ten ships in his fleet. He also became a casualty of the battle from the opening shot of his own vessel, the Dingyuan, which had a construction defect, along with a number of officers also present on the bridge.