From November 9 to 12, 2018, the Air Force and China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF) organized the “Spring Bud Girls National Defense (ND) Education” Winter Camp in Zhuhai, Guangdong, ten girls from poor villages which supported by the Air Force attended the activity.

Children visited the memorial park of the 1911 Revolution

Since its implementation in 1989, the Spring Bud Project, a charity program of CCTF, has helped 3.57 million girls from poor areas return to school. In recent years, the Air Force has been deeply involved in education poverty alleviation while fulfilling its military tasks, and continuously implemented the “Blue Sky Spring Bud Project”.

According to the organizers of the winter camp, poverty alleviation and development by supporting the cause of education in poverty-stricken and frontier minority areas is an accurate and effective solution to help the country win the tough battle against poverty as scheduled. At the same time, national defense education helps to root children’s national feelings, enhance national pride, and build self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-improvement excellent characters.

The scene of the 12th China International Aviation and Space Exposition

In the winter camp, children watched the 12th China International Aviation and Space Exposition. They were surprised, excited and encouraged by the sophisticated air force equipment, wonderful flying performance and interesting air force flying experience, which buried a seed of flying in the blue sky in their hearts. In addition, the children also visited the memorial hall of Sun Yat-sen’s former residence and the memorial park of the 1911 Revolution, received the profound patriotism education, and looked across the two sides of Zhuhai-Macau by ship, feeling the great achievement made in the 40 years of national Reform and Opening-up.

The 12th China International Aviation and Space Exposition aerobatic flight

November 11 was the public open day of the expo, and the exciting aerobatic flight show was the highlight of the winter camp. The children looked up at the sky and marveled at the changing postures and formations of the flight show. As four of China’s much-watched J-20 fighter jets made their way through the clouds, the children couldn’t help but exclaim, “Awesome”!

Children watched the flight show

At the air force flying exhibition area of the expo, the children clustered in front of the big screen and watched the videos introducing the development history of the air force, from the early combat hero of the air force to China’s first female astronaut, Liu Yang, the handsome blue military uniform left a deep impression in the children’s hearts.

Children watched the video of air force

In the fairway exhibition hall, children scramble to interact with the intelligent robot named “Feifei”. “Hello!” “What’s your name?” “How tall does it require to be a pilot?” “Are you a boy or a girl?”... Encouraged by everyone, Xiao Xiong, a shy Miao girl from Mengzi, Yunnan, plucked up the courage to shake hands with Feifei.

Children experienced VR flight introduction video

The winter camp coincided with the 69th anniversary of the founding of the PLA Air Force. The children celebrated the ceremony together.

Shi Shi, an 11-year-old Miao girl from Mengzi,Yunnan, said she loves the stars in the sky and wants to be an astronaut when she grows up. Xiaolan, a Mongolian girl, said that she knew the winter camp was funded by air force men, who helped them build schools. Xiaolan’s mother remarried when she was very young, and her father died in a car accident. Now she lives with her grandparents. “I want to keep this love in my heart”, Xiaolan said.

Ningning from the old revolutionary base of Yanchuan, Shanxi, is the youngest child in the winter camp. She became an orphan when she was 7 years old, but she can sing and dance, lively and generous. “I’m happy here from the first day, not tired at all!” she told the reporter happily. It was 13-year-old Xiaoqin, who had been taking care of Ningning during the trip - the oldest child in the winter camp. Xiaoqin is grateful to those who selflessly contributed to her education. She dreamed to becoming a writer, and though she did not aspire to join the army, in spirit and character, “I want to be like them”, Xiaoqin said.

Children visited the flight exhibition area of the expo

Since 1995, the Air Force has been supporting the Spring Bud Project for 24 consecutive years, with a total donation of 140 million yuan, building 102 schools and helping more than 30,000 children go to school. The Air Force hopes that the combination of “poverty alleviation” and “knowledge assistance” will change the fate of more students from poor families and help them get the change to shine their lives.