China Aviation Museum

China Aviation Museum

China Aviation Museum is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a patriotic education base, and a national defense education base.

China Aviation Museum is China’s first large-scale aviation museum open to the public and the largest aviation treasure trove in Asia. It is located at the foot of Datangshan Mountain in Changping, Beijing. The preparatory work began in October 1986, and after three years of collection and renovation, it officially opened to the public on November 11, 1989. Currently, it houses a collection of 91 types and 163 aircraft, as well as over 600 types of weapons and equipment such as radar and anti-aircraft guns.

The museum's mission is to establish an aviation physical archive, promote Chinese culture, popularize aviation knowledge, inspire national spirit, enhance domestic and international exchanges, and advance technological development.

The first phase of the project covers an area of approximately 200,000 square meters, consisting of a cave exhibition hall, a treasures exhibition hall, and an outdoor exhibition area.

The cave exhibition hall spans 20,000 square meters, with a domed ceiling embedded with 265 round lights, creating a starry night effect. Two light strips on both sides make the exhibition space appear even more spacious and bright. The treasures exhibition area covers 600 square meters, while the outdoor exhibition area spans 40,000 square meters. Additionally, there is a 9,000-square-meter ground storage area for air defense weaponry. Once the second phase is completed, the total area will reach 530,000 square meters.

The exhibits in the cave exhibition hall range from ancient Chinese aviation inventions and discoveries to modern high-altitude, high-speed fighter jets; from foreign aircraft introduced in modern times to various types of domestically produced planes. They are displayed along both sides of the large hall in chronological order, forming a magnificent panorama of aviation history. The MiG-15bis flown by Wang Hai, the current commander of the Air Force during the Korean War, is displayed here. On the right side of the hall, there are also replicas of famous aircraft in Chinese aviation history — the Feng Ru No. 2, the Laisuwen No. 1, and the Lenin. There are also various models of aircraft manufactured in the Soviet Union, the United States, France, Japan, Canada, Czechoslovakia, and other countries. Among them, the Japanese-built Type 99 Advanced Trainer, the Soviet-built Po-2, La-9, La-11, Tu-2, and Yak-12, and the American-built P-51 and L-5 are all world-renowned aviation treasures, possessing high historical, cultural, and aesthetic value. The left side of the hall features a series of aircraft produced in New China, from the first self-made primary trainer and the first fighter jet to the uniquely designed lightweight fighter jet Jian-12, documenting the complete development of New China’s aviation industry and the People’s Air Force. The rear of the hall also displays other weapons and equipment such as radar, missiles, and anti-aircraft guns.

The Treasures Hall is divided into three exhibition rooms. The first room displays various types of remote-controlled and realistic model aircraft made by the Aviation Museum itself; the second room showcases precious gifts presented to Chinese party and government leaders by foreign heads of state; the third room features finely crafted military insignia and unit badges gifted to the People’s Air Force by foreign military delegations, aviation enthusiasts, and other friendly individuals.

The outdoor exhibition area houses aircraft once used by Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Zhu De during the 1950s and 1960s, the Tu-4 heavy bomber given to Mao Zedong as a birthday gift by Stalin, the C-46 large transport aircraft that played significant roles in the “Hump Air Transport,” Tibet construction, and border counterattacks, as well as large passenger aircraft such as the Convair-240 and C-47 involved in the “Two Airlines Uprising,” the British Viscount, the Tu-124, and the Trident.

Address: Xiaotangshan Town, Changping District, Beijing

Type: Museum

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 hours

Phone: 010-61784882; 010-66916919

Official Website: http://jz.chinamil.com.cn/datajzb/hb/

Opening Hours:

Tuesday–Sunday: 9:00–16:00; Closed on Mondays, except for national holidays.

Ticket Information:

Free admission. Paid exhibitions within the museum are currently not open.

Xiaotangshan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Changping County. It is a pilot town for small-town construction in the municipality. Established as the Xiaotangshan Commune in 1961, it became Xiaotang Township in 1983 and was upgraded to a town in 1990. Located in the central-eastern part of the county, it is 17 km from the Asian Games Village and 19 km from the Capital Airport. Covering an area of 38.1 square kilometers with a population of 15,000, it has urban roads such as Shashun Road and Litang Road. It administers 10 village committees (Houniufang, Datangshan, Xiaotangshan, Dalushu, Huluhe, Asuwei, Guanniu Fang, Mafang, Jiangli, and Shangxin) and one neighborhood committee (Shichang Street). The area has geothermal (hot spring) resources and is known for tourism, vacationing, rehabilitation, and therapy... More details about Xiaotangshan Town++

Further Reading:

· National First-Class Museums of China