After the first plane in human history was invented by the Wright brothers in 1903, our dream of flying in the sky came true. And seven years later in 1910, the first plane landed in China. This was a Farman biplane imported by the government of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) , and then, Yuan Shikai (1859 - 1916, one of the most significant Chinese political figures at that time) set up the first normal aviation college in 1913. Those pilots graduated from this school have played a crucial role in the development of Chinese airlines industry. In 1921, the flight course between Beijing and Jinan was operated and air mail began at the same time. In the following decades, China was in war with Japan and went through its civil war before the People’s Republic of China was founded. During these years, planes mostly served as martial tools, transporting soldiers, life necessity and the wounded. Anyway, wars promoted technology, so is it with the China airlines at that time. Since 1960s, China airlines have featured flourish and rapid development. By 2004, airlines in china have owned 754 airplanes, 680 of which are first-rate in the world. Over 1,200 flight courses, 975 domestic ones and 225 international ones, connect 127 domestic cities, 80 cities in 38 countries around the world. With the fifty-year development, we believe in a more prosperous future of Chinese airlines industry.
