A Gen Z craftsman has turned his childhood passion for aircraft models into a career, drawing over a million followers across social media through imaginative designs.
Liu Xiangqiang, 28, has set up his model aircraft studio in his hometown in Ganzhou City, east China's Jiangxi Province, with nearly 600 different types of detailed aircraft models.
"At the beginning of this year, we just finished making a ground-effect vehicle. This is the second generation. This generation is very different from the previous one. The previous one had four propellers in the front, but now it has been changed to two in the front and two in the back," he said.
A ground-effect vehicle, also known as a wing-in-ground-effect craft, functions by leveraging the ground effect phenomenon, which involves an increase in lift and a decrease in resistance as the aircraft nears the ground or water surface.
"It can serve as a means of transportation, replacing some boats on water. and it can be used for tourism sightseeing. There is demand for this in scenic areas. Due to its relatively high speed, it can also be used for rescue operations. It can perform most of the tasks that boats can do," he said.
The ground-effect vehicle they are currently developing has undergone over 100 days of design, manufacturing, and testing by the research team, without any blueprints or physical objects. Through continuous refinement and optimization, the aircraft model has finally been created and successfully completed its maiden flight, reaching a top speed of 53 kilometers per hour.
"Compared to airplanes, it can carry a larger payload with the same power, and operate with smaller power when carrying the same payload," he said.
Driven by his passion for the model aircraft, Liu and his team have collectively created nearly 600 different types of flying machines.
Since childhood, Liu has harbored a strong interest in flying machines and enjoyed assembling toys with his own hands. One afternoon during his junior high school years, he encountered a model aircraft team conducting flight tests on the university campus, sparking a dream within him.
Since then, whenever he had free time, he taught himself aviation knowledge, continuously enriching his theoretical foundation and delving into the principles of aircraft. Gradually, he started crafting simple model aircrafts.
Liu finally realized his dream by pursuing a degree in model aircraft flight at university. Following graduation, he established a studio in his hometown, becoming a full-time model aircraft creator.
"As long as the aircraft successfully takes off or leaves the ground, there is a great sense of satisfaction and a tremendous sense of achievement. The two most satisfying moments are when the aircraft leaves the ground and when it touches the ground," he said.
Leveraging his boundless imagination and strong execution skills, Liu has garnered over a million followers across the internet. Moreover, his team generously showcases their creativity by publicly sharing design blueprints online and recording the entire process of designing and testing aircraft through videos.
"For those who have a passion for aviation, we have provided enlightenment. That is to say, we share some of my own experiences with them by this means. It can spark interest in aviation among more people and sow the seeds of dreams for aircrafts," he said.
In addition to online sharing, Liu often brings his team to local schools to voluntarily conduct popular science education, introducing basic aviation knowledge to primary and secondary school students.
"I was very curious because I had never seen this type of model before. This time, I personally got involved to experience it, and I found that there is a lot of physics knowledge involved in [the model aircraft]. I also realized that knowledge is not limited to textbooks but translates into practical operations in our real world," said Zhong Xiaoxiao, a student at Longhua Middle School in Longhua Town.
Gen Z craftsman sparks public passion for aircraft models
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
