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Early Chinese Aviation Pioneers

The present day aviation in China started at the end of Qing dynasty. After the Opium War in 1840, China was open to foreign countries of the West, which brought in modern aviation knowledge as well. There were lots of articles and pictures introducing hydrogen balloons, airships and aircraft since the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. In 1887, Hua Hengfang, a mathematical lecturer of Tianjin Army School, designed and manufactured a balloon with 1.66 meters diameter. The balloon was filled with self-made hydrogen and successfully flew into the air. This was the first hydrogen balloon made in China.

The Qing government appointed Liu Zuocheng and Li Baojun, both of whom returned from Japan, to set up a factory in Nanyuan, southern suburb of Beijing to manufacture aircraft in 1910. The first aircraft was witnessed in April of the following year, but was crashed during a flight test due to engine failure. This was the very beginning of modern aircraft manufacture in China.

In the revolutionary cause of overthrowing the Qing dynasty, Dr. Sun Yatsen clearly saw that the aircraft would become a new type of military weapon and be greatly helpful to the nation's revolution. He, therefore, called overseas Chinese youths to learn skills of flying and technologies of manufacturing, and to organize companies for manufacturing aircraft in order to establish Chinese aircraft manufacturing industry after the success of the revolution. He later even put forward the idea of "saving the nation with aviation" . Soon after the success of the Revolution in 1911, the first Air Force of the revolutionary military government was established and lots of people who devoted their lives to aviation wasted no time in seizing the opportunity to work for the motherland.

Feng Ru, a patriotic overseas Chinese and a noted aircraft designer and flyer at the beginning of this century, was China's first aviator. Born in Enping County in Guangdong Province on December 15, 1883, he went to the United States when he was a little boy. Feng Ru successfully designed and manufactured aircraft by himself in the United States. Funded by local overseas Chinese, he began to manufacture planes in a factory in Oakland in 1907. Two years later, Feng Ru set up the Guangdong Air Vehicle Company and he succeeded in producing a plane. The plane Feng built first flew on 21 September 1909, less than six year after the Wright Brothers' flight. Feng Ru (climbed into a self-propelled, fixed-wing plane he personally designed and prepared for a test flight in the Piedmont hills overlooking Oakland, California. Feng, a self-taught inventor originally from Enping, Guangdong province, flew the plane and stayed aloft for 29 minutes before plunging to the ground. The height and distance it travelled far exceeded that of the Wright brothers' flight.

Following his success as the first person to fly over North America's Pacific Coast, Feng, who is called the "Father of Chinese Aviation", and his assistant came back to China in 1911 with two aircraft he made. He was appointed the Air Force leader of Guangdong military government. Feng Ru was the first Chinese citizen to win the Aeroplanist Certificated issued by International Aviation Association. Feng Ru went on to build another aircraft as well. But in August 1912, he died after his plane crashed during a fly-past in south China's Guangzhou, Guangdong Province. In death, he became a national hero and was buried in Huanghuagang Martyrs' Graves. Dr Sun Yat-sen ordered the words "Chinese Aviation Pioneer" to be engraved on a monument in his honor.

In August 1910, Liu Baocheng and Li Baojun, funded by the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) Government, set up an aircraft manufacturing hangar in Nanyuan, Beijing. They also built China's first airport there. In September 1913, China's first aeronautical school -- Beijing Nanyuan Aeronautical School was established, headed by Qin Guoyong.

Tan Gen who lived in the United States was one of the earliest designers and manufacturers of water-based airplanes in the world. He produced a ship-body type water-based airplane in 1910 and won the first prize in the international aircraft competition held in Chicago. This water-based airplane also created world flying altitude record of water-based airplanes in the Philippines. He was then invited to come back to China in 1915 to set up Guangdong Aviation School.

Yang Xianyi, who jointed the Chinese Revolutionary League in his youth and graduated from an aviation college in the United States. He established an aircraft company himself. Dr. Sun Yatsen called him back to China in 1918 to take part in the war against the warlords. He was appointed Chief of the relief air force of Guangdong army to Fujian province, and later appointed Director of Aviation Bureau of Guangdong Revolutionary Government and Director of aircraft repair factory in 1922. Under his supervision a two-seater biplane reconnaissance-trainer was produced in 1923 and was named "Rosamonde" (after the student name of Song Qingling) by Dr. Sun Yatsen. Huang Guangrei successfully flew the aircraft with Song Qingling onboard in July 1923. In order to encourage the development of aviation cause, Dr. Sun Yatsen wrote a scroll of "Aspiration Soaring Sky High" for Yang Xianyi, who was unfortunately died in an explosion when he was testing a mine.