World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseJianqiao Airfield, located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, was established in 1922 in response to directives of Anhui clique warlord Lu Yongxiang and ace fighter pilot Zhu Binhou. In 1930, Chiang Kaishek took control of the operation for the Nationalist Party central government, and ordered that the Republic of China Military Academy would be relocated to this location from Nanjing. In the spring of 1931, barracks buildings, hangars, repair facilities, office buildings, etc. were constructed. In 1932, the first classes at the Jianqiao Central Aviation Academy began. In the subsequent few years, branch campuses were established in the cities of Luoyang and Guangzhou. By the time WW2 began in 1937, more than 500 cadets had graduated from Jianqiao. Shortly after the start of the war, the academy was relocated to the rear, initially to Kunming in Yunnan Province, then to Lahore in British India (now Pakistan), in order to provide Jianqiao as an additional base for front line combat units. On 14 Aug 1937, Japanese G3M bomber based in Taiwan attacked various Chinese airfields. Captain Gao Zhihang led his 4th Pursuit Group in defense of Jianqiao, shooting down 3 bombers without losses, leading to the date being announced Air Force Day to bolster morale. After the war, the academy returned to Jianqiao until late 1948 when it was relocated to Taiwan. In 1949, it was captured by Communist forces. After the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, Jianqiao became a military airfield for the Communist air force. In 1956, it became a military-civilian dual use airfield, with the first civilian flight taking off on 1 Jan 1957. The facilities were expanded in 1971 for US President Richard Nixon's visit in the following year. In 2000, the civilian Hangzhou Jianqiao Airport was replaced by the more modern Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, thus Jianqiao (now named Hangzhou Air Base) returned to the status of being a military-only facility once again. In 2006, the Communist government declared Jianqiao a historic site.

Jianqiao Airfield Interactive Map

Photographs

Jianqiao Airfield Timeline