Captain Liu Buchan could never have imagined that his former ward, the battleship Dingyuan, which went down with its captain and hundreds of Chinese sailors, would one day reappear near Liugongdao Island, not far from the spot the vessel sank 110 years ago during the China-Japan War of 1894-1895.

The warship Dingyuan was heavily involved in the fighting that took place on China's Yellow Sea and near Liugongdao Island, off the city of Weihai in East China's Shandong Province - an area that would become the ship's eternal resting ground as it sank to the ocean floor after being struck by Japanese fire.

But the likes of the legendary battleship were seen again, for on the sunny morning of April 16, a duplicate Dingyuan travelled 46 sea miles from its shipyard to the waters around Liugongdao. Once there, a special memorial ceremony was held on board to commemorate the brilliant and tragic warship and the Beiyang Fleet of China's Qing Government (1644-1911).

Jiang Ming, the replica Dingyuan's specially invited consultant, an expert in modern navy historical research, Professor Yan Taowei from Shandong University and Jiang Peiqi who was in charge of the duplication scheme, together cast a commemorative copper plate, Dingyuan Return-to-Weihai Commemoration, into the sea.

With stern faces, seamen and people from various walks of life sprinkled fresh flowers and zongzi (rice dumplings) into the sea. They then stood in silent tribute to those lost at sea during wartime. Afterwards, the new Dingyuan and other ships collectively blew their whistles in memory of the sunken battleship and the brave sailors that perished with her 110 years ago.

Led by two tugboats, the replica moved on to Weihai Port, where thousands of people waited to see the flagship of the Qing Government and remember the fallen.

After sailing through the sites of the naval battles of 110 years ago, the new Dingyuan docked at Weihai Port at 10 am. One hundred and ten Chinese sailors stood in line and saluted the reproduction of the battleship.

The legend of Dingyuan

The history of the Dingyuan can be traced back to 1878. At that time the late Qing Dynasty was rife with corruption and weak. It had paid little heed to coastal defence until one day in 1878 when the Japanese navy intruded into China's territorial waters off the coast of Taiwan Province.

With no way to repulse the Japanese force, the Qing Government decided to build a modern navy. After consulting with both British and German governments, the Qing Court in 1881 finally handed the contract to build the advanced warship to Germany's Vulcan shipmaking plant, at a cost of 1.7 million taels of silver.

Records show that the Dingyuan was recognized as the most advanced battleship of its time, the better of any ship in the mighty fleets of Great Britain and Germany. It measured 94.5 metres long and 18 metres wide with a 30-centimetre covering body armour. Experts say the Ironclad was resistant to any firepower available at the time.

Its four 305-mm calibre Krupp cannons boasted a range of 7.8 kilometres at 500 metres per second. Another two 150-mm calibre Krupp cannons installed at the bow and stern were able to lob shells as far as 11,000 metres with a preliminary speed of 580 metres per second.

Torpedo boats were also carried on board, enlarging the Dingyuan's striking distance and battle effectiveness.

To meet the demands on ship, 20 desalinators were installed which could serve 300 people fresh water daily.

"With many new and hi-tech designs of the time, the birth of the Dingyuan aroused great attention from the world's navy circles," said Professor Jiang Ming, who has been involved in modern navy research for many years. "Its advanced capabilities shocked the world, especially Asian countries."

In 1884 the Dingyuan was finished and sailed back to China, arriving the following year. Also in 1885, the Beiyang Fleet was founded in Weihai, and based at Liugongdao Island, marking the establishment of China's first modern fleet.

"At that time the Beiyang Fleet became immediately well-known because of the birth of world-class warships including the Dingyuan, Zhiyuan and Zhenyuan."

In the following 10 years, the Dingyuan visited Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malacca and Vladivostok, winning fame and glory wherever it went.

However, by the middle of the 1890s the waning Qing Dynasty lost its desire to keep ahead in the naval race, in contrast to the strengthening Japanese navy.

In 1894, Japan's navy made a sneak attack on Chinese warships and troop carriers. In the Yellow Sea Battle of September 1894, the Dingyuan led the Beiyang Fleet in driving the Japanese out. But on February 5, 1895, the Dingyuan was seriously damaged after being hit by a Japanese torpedo and later cannon fire. With surrender not an option, Captain Liu Buchan ordered the ship scuttled. And so ended the brilliant and tragic life of the battleship.

Duplication

To commemorate this period of history, the Weihai Port Bureau and local Weigao Group invested 50 million yuan (US$6 million) three years ago to build a mock Dingyuan battleship.

"Weihai and Liugongdao Island witnessed the ups and downs of the Beiyang Fleet, as well as the backwardness of China of that time. The Dingyuan was the totem of China's modern navy, so the duplicate contains special significance to remind us to firmly bear the humiliating but solemn history in mind," said Jiang Peiqi, the project's director and official from the bureau.

"It is a symbol of patriotism and also a place people can pay their respects to heroic Chinese seamen," Jiang said.

The replica's construction began on a scale of 1:1 on December 20, 2003.

The 305-mm calibre Krupp cannons, fish torpedo carrier, torpedo boats, quick-firers and machine guns were all replicated from original drawings of the battleship.

"(It was all done) in order to revert to a real Dingyuan to the greatest extent. From 2002 to 2004 engineers undertook detailed investigations," said Jiang.

After careful research, Jiang and his colleagues invited No 701 Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation to design the new ship.

Though they failed to find Dingyuan's original blueprints, with the help of enthusiastic navy researchers from home and abroad, drawings from the corresponding period provided a detailed and reliable reference.

"We tried to revive the original Dingyuan as much as possible. We knew it was impossible, but when people come to Weihai enjoying the beautiful coastal scenery, we hope they also keep in mind that everyone has to work hard and be patriotic so we will be strong enough to fight against any kind of foreign aggression or oppression!" Jiang stressed.

Tourist spot

The duplicate Dingyuan is now a floating museum. It has four Krupp 305-mm calibre cannons, one 150-mm calibre cannon and over 10 smaller calibre cannons. There are also two torpedo boats and three lifeboats on board. Inside are records of Dingyuan, the Beiyang Fleet, the 1894-95 China-Japan War and life at sea exhibits.

"We've been waiting for this moment for more than 10 years," Jiang said. "As the flagship of the Qing Dynasty, the Dingyuan is closely tied with the Chinese history of resisting foreign invasion. To re-exhibit China's 'first' warship of the time will alert later generations not to forget national humiliation."

The battleship will open to the public on May 1. It is estimated that the number of visitors will surpass 100,000 annually.

"After the week-long Labour Day holiday, we will tug Dingyuan to exhibit home and abroad, including Qingdao, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as well as Japan and South Korea, having it relive the brilliance of its former days," Jiang said.