The first regular flight of China's homegrown C919 jetliner flying from Shanghai to Hong Kong on Wednesday welcomed its passengers who were excited to witness the airliner's first-ever regional commercial operation.
The jet carrying 157 passengers took off from the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport at 08:21 and landed at the Hong Kong International Airport at 10:44, marking the inauguration of this type of aircraft's regular services on this route.
Many of the boarding passengers said they booked the flight to witness this special moment.
"I've come together with my son. We've looked forward to this moment for a long time," said a passenger.
"Happened to get the chance this time and managed to snap the ticket ups. Just to take it for a unique and significant new year and a record of this year. Also as a historic evidence, which sounds nice. Also as a historic evidence, which sounds nice," said her son.
To ensure that C919 passengers will have comfortable and smooth travel experience, Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection opened special channels to help them check in more efficiently.
"We've opened special channels in the border inspection hall of the Hongqiao airport for passengers boarding C919 on the day," said Dong Jianguo, director of the border inspection division of Hongqiao Border Inspection Station under Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.
China Eastern Airlines, operator of the flight route, said the company hopes the trip will serve as tangible proof of the development of China's civil aviation technology.
"It is the most significant and newest one among the new flight routes we inaugurated to major cities around the country operated by C919 aircraft. I hope passengers flying on this route could fully feel for and experience the development and progress of our country's civil aviation science and technology," said Shang Feng, general manager of C919 Flight Division of Shanghai Flight Department of China Eastern Airlines.
China's C919 jetliner on Shanghai-Hong Kong route welcomes passengers
China's achievements and cooperation initiatives in the technology and innovation sector have been highlighted at the ongoing Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) in Beijing.
The five-day forum opened on Wednesday and has attracted over 1,000 guests from more than 100 countries and regions to exchange views under the theme of "Full Integration Between Technological and Industrial Innovation".
This year's event showcased over 500 cutting-edge achievements across fields such as embodied intelligence, smart manufacturing and biomedicine, fully demonstrating China's latest scientific and technological advancements and innovations.
"[I'm] really impressed about the level of modernization and dynamism of the technology industry and AI here in China. We need support, commitment and leadership. China is providing all of them and in particular in the emerging technologies, including AI," said Sergio Mujica, secretary-general of the International Organization for Standardization.
At the forum's annual meeting, 60 parallel sessions are scheduled -- 21 of them debuting this year -- furthering global technology exchange.
"China is opening its full technical infrastructure to the world, and I think specifically for the Global South. This acts as a major advancement and it shows the level of responsibility and openness that China is showing towards the advancement of science and the collaboration," said Said Taha, a consultant for the Egyptian Ministry of Education.
At the 2026 Zhongguancun International Technology Trade Fair, part of the ZGC Forum, over 500 high-quality projects and scientific and technological achievements were on display, establishing a multi-level, wide-ranging platform for technology transaction and cooperation.
The attendees hailed the fair for bringing together global companies and facilitating exchanges.
"The innovation here in China is so attractive that a lot of global companies are coming to China in order to do the business deals in order to bring the products to the global markets," said Joseph Scheeren, member of the French National Academy of Pharmacy.
"The ZGC Forum provides an open platform for dialogue, and we hope to participate in more international cooperation in the future to promote Chinese technology and products to the world," said Yang Zhilin, CEO of Moonshot AI, a Chinese tech company.
China's technological contributions highlighted at Zhongguancun Forum
