The Battle of Fuzhou was the opening engagement of the 16-month Sino-French War. The battle was fought on 23 August 1884 off the Pagoda Anchorage in Mawei harbour, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the southeast of the city of Fuzhou. During the battle Admiral Amédée Courbet's Far East Squadron virtually destroyed the Fujian Fleet, one of China's four regional fleets.