 "Jingyuan" first saw action during one of the opening engagements of the First Sino-Japanese War, in the Battle of the Yalu River on 17 September 1894.Each Chinese ship was paired with another in a supporting role in case of a signalling failure, with "Jingyuan" and the armored cruiser "Laiyuan" grouped together.Shortly after the start of the battle, Admiral Ruchang's signalling mast aboard the ironclad warship was disabled by its own weapons.