China Aviation Museum

The China Aviation Museum is the country's first large-scale aviation museum open to the public and the largest repository of aviation artifacts in Asia. It is located at the foot of Datangshan Mountain in Changping, Beijing. The museum covers an area of 720,000 square meters and houses over 300 aircraft of more than 130 types, as well as 15,300 items of air force weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft guns, and radar equipment. Serving as a window into the cultural development of the Air Force, the museum meticulously documents the history of the birth, growth, and development of the Air Force of the People's Republic of China, showcasing the past, present, and future of national defense technology.
The Aviation Museum features two large exhibition halls: the Cave Exhibition Hall and the Outdoor Apron Exhibition Hall. The Cave Exhibition Hall, a spacious area converted from aircraft storage caves dug in the 1970s, displays significant and representative aircraft from various periods in Chinese aviation history. Notable exhibits include the CJ-5, marking the end of China's inability to manufacture aircraft; the J-12, a newly designed fighter jet independently developed by China; and the Y-5, which was used to scatter Premier Zhou Enlai's ashes over the nation.

The Outdoor Apron Exhibition Hall primarily showcases a variety of aircraft from around the world. Highlights include the British-made Viscount, the first aircraft to use a turboprop engine, along with other aviation treasures. Additionally, the museum features specialized exhibits such as the "Engine Series Exhibition," "Treasures Exhibition," "Aerial Photography Equipment Exhibition," "Life-saving and Protective Equipment Exhibition," and "Chairman Mao's Aircraft Exhibition." Such a large-scale aviation-themed museum is rare in the world. The China Aviation Museum is a microcosm of Chinese aviation history and a comprehensive exposition of aircraft.