Ruili Aircraft Factory Ruins

　　The historic Central Ruili Aircraft Factory was located in Leiyun Village, Nongdao Town, Ruili City. The factory was founded in 1939, and it was formerly known as the “Zhonghang Factory.” In 1942, when Japanese invaders occupied Burma, the Ruili Aircraft Factory was abandoned and destroyed. It was a state-of-the-art aircraft manufacturing plant jointly built by China and the United States at the time. At its peak, the factory employed 2,500 workers, produced 63 aircraft, and assembled 50 more. Not only did it manufacture and maintain a large number of combat planes for the war against Japan, but it also developed the world’s first copper-shaft reverse helicopter — an achievement that was unmatched globally. The Ruili Aircraft Factory in Ruili, Yunnan, is the earliest aircraft manufacturing facility in the province. Even after more than half a century, remnants of the original runway can still be seen. A large concrete tarmac with neat and solid edges reflects the remarkably advanced construction techniques of the time, and exposed steel bars can occasionally still be spotted. In one corner of the site stands a white marble memorial plaque that briefly documents the history of the aircraft factory. Behind the plaque, inside a bamboo shed, the edge of a concrete slab bears the engraved mark “CAMC 1939” (the English abbreviation for the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company).