Nanyuan Air Base (南苑 Beijing Nanyuan Airport)

Beijing Nanyuan Airport was an air base and a secondary commercial airport located in Fengtai District, Beijing, China. Opened in 1910, it was the oldest airport in China. Rudimentary runways were established in 1907, and a factory for experimenting with aircraft manufacturing was constructed in 1910, officially opening the airport for regular use. In 1913, the Nanyuan Flying Academy, the first official flying academy in China, was established here. During the Manchu Restoration in July 1917, a Caudron Type D aircraft from Nanyuan dropped bombs over the Forbidden City. During the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese Army extended the airport, upgraded its air traffic control facilities, and renamed it Nanyuan military camp. After the surrender of Japan in 1945, it served as an important airport for the Nationalist government and its air force, and the United States Marine Corps fighter squadron VMF-218 was based there in 1946. The People's Liberation Army took control of the airport in December 1948. In August 1949, the first flying brigade of the People's Liberation Army Air Force was formed at Nanyuan and participated in the People's Republic of China Founding Ceremony's flying missions. The airport supported the training of air and ground forces for subsequent National Day Show of Force events. In 1986, China United Airlines was established as a military-owned civil airline with authorization to use military airports, making Nanyuan its main operating base. Beijing Nanyuan Airport ceased civil operations on September 25, 2019, with commercial passenger flights moving to Beijing Daxing International Airport. It remained operational as a People's Liberation Army Air Force military base until September 30, 2019, when the Beijing Nanjiao Airport opened.