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Staff profile

Overview

Jiarui Yu

Journey to Northumbria: Chinese Visit and Elswick Cemetery

Affiliations
Affiliation
Journey to Northumbria: Chinese Visit and Elswick Cemetery in the Department of History

Biography

I am a history PhD candidate, researching late modern British and Chinese history. I completed both a BA (2022) and an MA (2023) (with distinction) in History at Durham University.

Current Research

My thesis uncovers the story behind the Beiyang Fleet Graves in Newcastle (niuka sier beiyang shuishimu), located in Elswick Cemetery. It explores the interaction between the Northeast-England locals and Qing Dynasty individuals in late modern Britain.  During the three Chinese naval visits to Newcastle, in 1881, 1887, and 1911, the Beiyang crews - comprised of diverse backgrounds such as Confucian scholars, grassroots sailors, naval officers, and revolutionaries - actively engaged with the Northeast communities. These interactions are carved in the vicissitudes of Elswick Cemetery. My aim is to achieve a comprehensive study of the Beiyang Fleet's visits by incorporating multilateral perspectives, including Chinese, British, and Japanese viewpoints.

Conferences

Presenting: "The Draft History of Qing (Qingshigao) - A Hybrid of Dynastic and 'Modern' History Writings," Modernities in a Global Context Workshop, in Centre for Comparative Modernities, Durham University, Durham. 26th March 2024.

"The Beiyang Fleet's Death Culture: Mourning Chinese Sailors in 19th-Century Newcastle," The Thinking East Asia Workshop, in History Department, Durham University, Durham. 3rd March 2025.

"The Beiyang Fleet's Health and Medical Culture, and Its British Imagination," Bridging Seas and Centuries: The Beiyang Sailors Legacy Symposium, Newcastle Business School, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne. 21st July 2025.

"Venturing for Sex and Romance: The Beiyang Navy's Social Life in Northeast England," Durham East Asia Postgraduate Research Conversation Workshop, in the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Durham University, Durham. 23 June 2026.

Event Organiser: Bridging Seas and Centuries: The Beiyang Sailors' Legacy Symposium, Newcastle Business School, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne. 21st July 2025.

Heritage Preservation

Besides conducting academic research, I am also a practitioner of heritage preservation. I have worked with Northeast England's local community since the early 2020s. Currently, I am an academic advisor and co-founder of the Beiyang Fleet Heritage Foundation UK (charity number: 1214520). I am responsible for providing professional guidance on subjects such as gravesite preservation, public history education, and academic development in this charity group.

In 2024, I discovered the sixth Chinese sailor's (Gan Zhaogong) grave in Newcastle's Elswick Cemetery through archival research and fieldwork. See these articles for details:

I aim to utilise historical research skills to advance heritage preservation. My research method also builds on the resonance between the intangible narratives and the tangible remains.

There are more exciting events coming in future, such as the repair project of Gan Zhaogong's grave and an exhibition in collaboration with Newcastle's Discovery Museum. Please see my LinkedIn and the Beiyang Fleet Heritage Foundation UK social media account to follow our activities (Rednote, Xiaohongshu: beiyang18811887)

Research interests

  • Beiyang Fleet in Victorian UK
  • Societies and Cultures in Britain and China

Publications

Newspaper/Magazine Article