"Ying Rui" was laid down by Vickers Limited in Barrow-in-Furness, England, in late 1910. She was launched on 13 July 1911 and completed ready for trials on 2 December 1911. The ship headed to the River Clyde, with its crew supplemented by the men of the cruiser , which was also in Barrow-in-Furness at the time. The trials were completed successfully by 9 December. In 1913, after a long loan negotiation, she was delivered to China in April. She was designed and designated as a training cruiser, but on arrival in China, she found herself as one of the most modern vessels of the fledgling Republic of China Navy. In mid-1917, Admiral Sa Zhenbing was offered "Ying Rui" and "Chao Ho" to suppress the Manchu Restoration, but declined. In 1920 "Ying Rui" joined the training squadron of ships based in Nanjing.