 Two of her 4.7-inch guns were on sponsons on either side of the ship near the bow, the other two were further aft on pivot mounts inboard, and the 5.9-inch gun was on the stern.She was built for the Guangdong Fleet, one of the Imperial Chinese Navy's four regional fleets.Nothing is known of her early career, but she along with several other ships of the Guangdong Fleet was present at the 1894 Battle of the Yalu River during the First Sino-Japanese War, on 17 September 1894.