A British alternative for China's first ironclads

If the German-built Dingyuan-class ironclads were the wrong choice, where should China have bought instead?

British builders were the strongest alternative, with Colossus- and Admiral-class work already offering more advanced contemporary designs.

British builders are proposed as the stronger alternative for China's ironclad purchases around 1880. Supplying Japan would not necessarily have prevented a Chinese order, since competing customers could buy through different firms. Colossus and Admiral designs were under construction, while Ajax offered another option for a central-citadel turret ship. Collingwood's July 1880 laying-down date places the first Admiral alongside the Chinese purchasing decision. Export orders also gave foreign buyers a role in financing British industrial capacity.