Museum of the Northeast Old Aviation School

Museum of the Northeast Old Aviation School

The Museum of the Northeast Old Aviation School is located 3 kilometers west of Mishan Town, Mishan City, Jixi. On March 1, 1946, in order to train pilots, navigators, and aviation technicians, and to lay the foundation for establishing the Air Force and developing the aviation industry, the Party Central Committee founded the Aviation School of the Northeast Democratic Allied Army (Northeast Old Aviation School), which was the first aviation school established by the Communist Party of China. In November 1946, the entire school was relocated to Dong’an (now Mishan), and stayed there until December 1949. The difficult years the Northeast Old Aviation School spent in Mishan marked an important milestone in the birth, development, and growth of the People’s Air Force. It is hailed as the cradle of China’s aviation industry, having trained a large number of pilots, navigators, and various aviation technical professionals in fields such as aviation engineering, communications, and meteorology. Among them, over 80 have become leaders and generals in the Party, military, and aviation sectors. In 2001, the Mishan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government built the Museum of the Northeast Old Aviation School to commemorate the great achievements of the older generation of revolutionaries, showcase the establishment and development of the old aviation school, promote its pioneering spirit, and provide revolutionary tradition education, patriotic education, and national defense education to the general public, especially young people. The museum houses six retired aircraft of various types donated by the Air Force and 16 high-end wooden aircraft models. It has also collected over 800 pieces (items) of precious materials, photos, and artifacts related to the old aviation school, displaying them across three exhibition halls and five sections.

Mishan is the place with the most aircraft donated by the Air Force in the country. During the period of establishing the Northeast base area, the people of Mishan sacrificed their own comforts to support the development of the People’s Air Force, forming a deep bond with the air force. From here emerged two Air Force Commanders who became Generals of the Republic: Liu Yalou and Wang Hai. It also produced deputy Air Force commanders, deputy commanders of major military regions who also served as commanders of regional air forces, and naval aviation commanders such as Chang Qiong, Wang Bi, Xue Shaoqing, Zhang Jihui, Zou Yan, Lin Hu, Liu Yudi, Hou Shujun, Lin Jigui, Xu Dengkun, Sun Jingbi, Wang Tianbao, and Li Wenmo.

During the Korean War, two founding generals of the Republic—Fang Ziyi, commander of the 4th Air Division, and Yuan Bin, commander of the 3rd Air Division—led teachers and students from the old aviation school in Dong’an into battle. Of the six ace combat heroes who struck fear into the hearts of the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War, five were students of the old aviation school in Dong’an: Liu Yudi, Wang Hai, Sun Shenglu, Lu Min, and Zhang Jihui. The Northeast Old Aviation School is hailed as the cradle of the Republic’s aviation industry.

In recent decades, the Air Force has gifted eight aircraft of various types to the people of Mishan as a token of remembrance. To develop red tourism, the Mishan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government raised funds through various means to build the Museum of the Northeast Old Aviation School. In December 2010, the museum was designated as a provincial-level patriotic education base by the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.

Mishan Town: Located in the central part of Mishan City, around the central community, it is a town that combines urban and rural features and serves as an important transportation hub in the city, boasting a superior geographical location. The town administers 14 administrative villages and one farm, covering a total area of 174 square kilometers.　

　Mishan Town focuses on economic development. As early as the beginning of the reform and opening-up period, Tixi and Shuangsheng villages in Mishan Town were among the first to become “ten-thousand-yuan villages.” Today, the town’s economy remains at the forefront of the city, with per capita incomes in four of its villages ranking among the top ten in the city, and the living standards of its residents continue to improve. Mishan Town is an ideal place for living and leisure. [More detailed information about Mishan Town++]