Ding was a naval prefect in the late Qing Dynasty. On August 18th, 20th year of Guangxu reign in Qing Dynasty (1894.9. 17), on the way back to Pyongyang, beiyang fleet was intercepted by the Japanese fleet at Dadonggou at the mouth of Yalu River, and a naval battle broke out in the Yellow Sea. He waved his boat to fight and continued to supervise the battle after being injured. After this war, Li Hongzhang ordered beiyang fleet to avoid the war and protect the ship, and was trapped in Ahava (now Weihai). At the beginning of the following year, Ahava, Ding and other soldiers were captured by the Japanese army. They persisted in fighting, but Ding committed suicide by taking poison. Someone sent a letter with the seal of the navy prefect to the Japanese side, and the Beiyang Navy was destroyed.

Ding's right death is actually very modest. Before his death, Ding arranged for his men to hold peace talks with Japan and expressed his willingness to surrender. At the same time, because the court has punished him, Ding actually "stayed". Therefore, even if he returns to Beijing, Ding will not come to a good end. He committed suicide and gained a good reputation, but he was able to save his men. Death is a relief. Finally, Ding swallowed opium with wine. It is said that he ate opium that night and didn't die until 5 am the next day. In the meantime, he nagged his servant many times: is such a big fleet finished?