This Day, That Year

Item from Oct 27, 1984, in China Daily: Joining the top flight ... China's first group of women pilots with college qualifications have a chat before a flying trip. They graduated earlier this month from an aviation institute where they learned to fly both military jets and civil jumbos. They have spent nearly 300 hours in the air.

In the past few decades, China has recorded major achievements in gender equality and women's empowerment, with women making impressive strides in previously male-dominated fields such as aviation and space.

Since 1951, the People's Liberation Army Air Force has trained more than 500 female pilots, China Central Television reported.