How the Zhuhai air show charted China’s path from catching up to flying high

When Zhuhai hosted its inaugural air show in November 1996, the event showcased the J-8IIM fighter, a second-generation fighter equipped with Russian radar and weapons, alongside a limited line-up of home-made aircraft.

Imported planes were the focus and Chinese audiences curiously studied the much more advanced foreign designs. They crowded around two Russian fourth-generation Su-27 fighters and were wowed as the…