A replica of the Dingyuan battleship is berthed at a port in Weihai, Shandong province. (ZHU ZHENG/XINHUA)
Archaeologists identified a shipwreck off the coast of Weihai, Shandong province, as the Dingyuan, a famous battleship sunk during the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95).
According to a seminar on Liugong Island in Weihai on Monday, more than 150 cultural relics, including sailors' personal belongings, pieces of the wooden deck and cartridge cases, have been retrieved from the site during an underwater archaeological investigation this summer.
The Dingyuan was the flagship of the Beiyang Fleet during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The 94-meter-long ship was built in Germany.
On Feb 10, 1895, while moored in harbor, the Dingyuan was attacked by a Japanese fleet and ran out of ammunition. It was scuttled at sea by the Chinese Navy to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
A fraction of the battleship's hatch is displayed on Monday. WANG YANG/XINHUA
