CHINESE AIRLINES : Airline Colours of China

INTRODUCTION

CIVIL AVIATION IN MODERN CHINA

Mystery and intrigue have always been associated with aviation in China for the past seventy years. Alter some serious research during many visits to China, we are able to present this concise history of events in the Chinese aviation industry and airlines.

In March 1919. the Ministry of Communications of the Chinese Government ( the Northern Warlords ) set up an office to establish civil aviation in China. Immediately eight British - built Vickers Vimy aircraft were purchased from the United States of America to operate passenger services within China. Foreign pilots were recruited not only to fly the aircraft, but to train the Chinese pilots. A route network was established from Beijing to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Harbin and Kulun ( now known as Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia ). These planned routes were never implemented except for two part legs of two routes, from Beijing to Tainjin commencing in May 1920 and Beijing to Jinan commencing the following year. Beijing to Tianjin operated for one year and Beijing to Jinan survived only ten days. A small number of temporary flights were operated from Beijing to Beidaihe as well as some tourist flights over the Great Wall of China during the summer days. These early pioneering flights were all suspended by 1924 pending a restructuring of civil air operations.

( ... ) The Chinese Government was ready with the newly restructured civil aviation system and by 1929 had purchased four American - built Stinson Reliant aircraft and recruited two foreign pilots and one foreign mechanic, supported by three Chinese pilots and nine mechanics. The Shanghai to Nanjing route started in July 1929. Unfortunately the route was irregular ; however, it did manage to survive just over a year and during that time carried a total of 1,477 passengers and twenty kilograms of mail.

The air services were again suspended until August 1930, when the Chinese and American Governments founded a joint venture Sino - American company named CNAC - China National Aviation Corporation ; the Chinese held fifty - five per cent of the shares and the Americans held the remaining forty - five per cent. CNAC initially operated the five - seater Stinson SM68 airliner how Beijing, Shanghai. Guangzhou, Chengdu and Chongqing to fourteen other destinations.

In February 1931, a second joint vet tute company was formed between the Governments of China and Germany ; ... ( ... ) The outcome of this venture was Eurasia Airlines,... ( ... ) The Japanese invasion of China had by August 1937 taken a serious turn for the worse with the Japanese attacks penetrating deep into mainland China. ( ... ) By 1939, China was again in turmoil with the Japanese invasion of their country and the start of the Second World War which was beginning to spread east from Europe. The first aviation casualty was Eurasia, caused by the breaking of diplomatic relations between China and Germany ; the German share of twenty - five per cent was taken over by the Chinese Ministry of Communications which declared Eurasia to be a Chinese State - owned airline. ( ... ) Meanwhile, China's other airline, CNAC, was making history. The airline became the first in the world to lose an airliner when a DC - 2 was shot at by a Japanese fighter.

( ... ) Since the early years of the twentieth century, China's aviation has flown through many turbulent times. Fortunately, their history has been preserved as part of the national heritage collection from the 1909 Feng RU - 2 biplane to the Ilyushin Il - 62 four - engined jet airliner. This historic and priceless collection of over two hundred aircraft can be seen on public display at the Datang Shan Aviation Museum, Changping, near Beijing, which provides an insight into the glorious past of China's aviation history.