Published on: 2026-05-20
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Nanchang/Moscow, May 20 /Xinhua/ — Being a descendant of veterans who participated in the Nanchang Uprising, Luo Czenan has kept two valuable historical documents for many years. One of them is a list of Soviet volunteer pilots who died in the battle in Nanchang in 1937-1938, and the other is a photograph of the famous Soviet pilot Konstantin Opasov /1908-1938/, who fell in an aerial battle over the city of Nanchang (the administrative center of Jiangxi province, Eastern China).
During the years of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against the Japanese invaders, Nanchang was a key airbase for the Chinese Air Force and an important stronghold for the group of Soviet volunteer pilots who came to aid China.
According to the director of the Society for the Study of the History of the Communist Party of China in Jiangxi Province, Wei Chunyu, 49 fierce air battles took place over Nanchang in those years. Joint operations of Chinese pilots and Soviet volunteer pilots effectively contained Japanese aggression and significantly boosted combat morale.
To restore the combat path of Soviet aviators in Nanchang, Lo Czenan created a volunteer team “Soul of China — a group searching for Soviet eagles.” Its participants covered the entire Nanchang, visiting former military airbases and historical sites, striving to restore the precious military friendship between the two peoples and record the stories of Soviet heroes who sacrificed their lives on Chinese territory.
From October 31 to November 2, 2025, fighters soared in the sky over Yao Airport near the city of Nanchang. The aerobatic team “Russian Knights,” the only aviation team in the world performing group supersonic flying on heavy fighters, performed for the first time at the air show in Nanchang, demonstrating six Su-35S aircraft and one Su-30SM.
Spectacular air performances, including classical group aerobatics, a “synchro barrel roll” performed by four airplanes, and the release of “tulip” smoke patterns, amazed the spectators and caused enthusiastic applause. After the performance of the pilots of the “Russian Knights” and the Chinese aerobatic team “Hunsin”—the first team in the country consisting of veteran pilots—they took photos together on the airfield.
The head of the aviation aerobatic team “Khunsin” Hu Yanchun noted that Nanchang is the birthplace of the first Chinese national aircraft manufacturer. Joint performances by the Chinese and Russian aerobatic teams here clearly demonstrate a deep cultural exchange and integration of the aviation cultures of the two countries.
The airshow in Nanchang became a vivid example of bilateral exchanges in aviation between China and Russia, and the professional mutual training has turned into a new driving force of the China-Russia aviation cooperation in the new era.
In 2025, the program of Nanchang Aviation University for joint training of specialists in the field of aviation engineering technologies received special funding from the Chinese Scholarship Council. This allows for the annual selection of 30 students to obtain a master’s or doctoral degree in high-demand specialties — aviation, electronics, materials science, mechanical engineering — at the Moscow Aviation Institute and Kazan National Research Technical University in Russia.
In October 2025, the university also held an international forum on advanced Chinese-Russian aviation technologies, in which 33 Russian experts participated. The participants exchanged views on key technical topics, including composite material testing and the study of aircraft engine vibrations.
Students who have received the right to study on a government scholarship continue their education at Russian universities. Among them is Len Mi, a young man from Jiangxi Province. Five years ago, he received a scholarship and went to the Moscow Aviation Institute, where he is now studying for a doctorate specializing in “aircraft design.”
“For me, Chinese-Russian friendship is a matter that continues the traditions of the past and looks towards the future. I want to combine my personal dream with the work of promoting common development and mutual prosperity in the aerospace industry of both countries,” said Len Mi. He also invites his Russian classmates to participate in a joint innovation competition. During the preparation process, they exchange ideas and learn from each other, deepening mutual friendship.
From joint combat in the heat of military actions to aerial performances under a clear sky and a shared aspiration for a common future — this aviation friendship between China and Russia, spanning more than eighty years, remains timeless and full of vitality.
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