On 23 June 1884, "Chaoyong" was present alongside "Yangwei", as well as the corvette and the sloop , when the Chinese vessels met their French Navy counterparts. The French ships dwarfed their Chinese counterparts, and following a discussion between the leaders of each fleet, the French put on a firing demonstration. Afterwards, the Chinese fleet broke up with "Yang-Wu" headed to Foochow (now Fuzhou), and the two cruisers sailed back to Taku. The Sino-French War broke out shortly afterwards, although "Chaoyong" saw no action, although there was speculation that the two cruisers might be sent to break the French blockade of Formosa. She and "Yangwei" were sent south to Shanghai in November, but were then brought back north after concerns were raised about growing Japanese influences in Korea.