1949 as an airbase. The cavern bunker opened after 1949, but was closed when the museum opened in 1989. Civil flights began by the end of the Cold War.
It opened in 1949 with Soviet help and some abandoned Nationalist aircraft.
The museum was opened in 1989 to to honor the 40th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and it was renovated 2011. It is 1,000 acres big and has more than 200 aircraft and more than 700 weapons and pieces of equipment set out in 3 main exhibition areas including a cavern bunker. The cavern itself is 5 acres and is a tribute to the history of flight. There is also radar and weapons exhibitions in the cavern.