WARTIME SHIPWRECK PROMPTS SALVAGE DEBATE

The Chih Yuen marked Beiyang Fleet's glory days and sudden fall

Although the Chih Yuen was one of China's shortest-lived battleships, it remains one of the country's best-known symbols of bravery and patriotism.

The 2,300-ton vessel was completed by the Armstrong Shipbuilding Co in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on Oct 20, 1885. One year later, it joined the Beiyang Fleet of the Imperial Chinese Navy of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as one of its major battleships.