This Day, That Year

Editor's note: This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China.

In April 1980, the central government approved the establishment of the Beijing Air Catering Co, originally registered as Sino-Overseas Joint Venture 001. It laid the foundation for the creation of more overseas-funded enterprises, and marked the end of in-flight menus that offered little more than biscuits, boiled eggs and cold luncheon meat.

An item from Dec 31, 1982, in China Daily showed employees of the Beijing Air Catering preparing a roast turkey, to be served aboard one of the 15 airlines the company supplied at that time. The company prepared hundreds of in-flight meals daily in 1982.