On September 17th, marking the 130th anniversary of the sinking of the Beiyang Fleet cruiser "Zhiyuan," Consul General Tang Rui visited the graves of the Beiyang Fleet sailors in Newcastle.

Consul General Tang first bowed and observed a moment of silence at the graves of five sailors, paying the highest respects to these heroes resting there. He then carefully examined the recently discovered sixth sailor's grave, found on September 13th just a few meters away. Consul General Tang expressed the Consulate's willingness to actively promote research on the history of the Beiyang Fleet's activities in the UK and the restoration of the grave sites.

In the 1880s, the government of the Qing Dynasty sent sailors of the Beiyang Fleet to Newcastle to bring back four cruisers including "Zhiyuan" . Previously, it was known that five sailors had died from illness due to the rigors of long-distance travel and difficulties in adapting to the local conditions. They were buried in St.John's Cemetery. Recently, after months of joint efforts by local Chinese students and overseas Chinese communities, the sixth sailor's grave was discovered. 

    The restoration work on the previous five sailors' graves was completed in December 2018. On important memorial days, local overseas Chinese communities and students voluntarily come to pay their respects.