The Ning Hai class were a pair of light cruisers in the Chinese fleet before World War II. Ning Hai (Chinese: 甯海; literally: "Peaceful Seas"), the lead ship of the class, was laid down in Japan while the follow-on, Ping Hai (Chinese: 平海; literally: "Amicable Seas"), was laid down in China and completed with Japanese assistance to a slightly modified design that included the deletion of seaplane facilities (Ning Hai had a small hangar for two seaplanes). While Ning Hai was quickly commissioned, tensions between China and Japan plagued the efforts to complete the Ping Hai. Both served as flagships of the Republic of China Navy (ROCN), with Ping Hai taking over the role from its older sister ship since April 1937. The ROCN had an ambitious plan to procure a larger and more-powerful command cr