Chinese Aviation Museum, Aviation and military museum in Datangshan, China

The Chinese Aviation Museum sits at the foot of Datangshan Mountain and displays over 300 aircraft along with approximately 15,300 pieces of military equipment from different eras. The sprawling exhibition gives visitors a comprehensive overview of military aviation development through numerous halls and outdoor sections.

The museum opened on November 11, 1989, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force. It has since grown into one of the largest aviation collections in Asia.

The collection spans aircraft from China, Russia, the United States, Japan, Britain, France, and Canada, showing how different nations developed aviation technology. Walking through the halls, visitors encounter machines that represent decades of international aeronautical progress.

The Beijing site at Datangshan closed on 9 October 2025 for construction work, with relocation planned to the Changchun area; check before travelling. The grounds covered over 700,000 square metres, split between a cave hall of about 20,000 square metres and an open-air area of about 180,000 square metres, so plan for long walks between sections.

Part of the collection is housed inside a cave in the side of Datangshan Mountain, a former section of the Shahezhen Airbase tunnel and bunker system measuring 586 metres long, 11 metres high and 40 metres wide. The museum's emblem is a Nanchang J-12 supersonic light fighter. The Beijing site closed on 9 October 2025 for a planned move to Changchun.