On April 14, 2026, with warm spring breezes and clear skies, Binzhou Polytechnic organized 36 international students and representative Party member teachers to visit Dagao Aviation High-Tech Industrial Park. The event, themed "Aviation Practice and Cultural Exchange for International Students & Party-Building Cooperation", aimed to deepen university-local Party building collaboration and expand practical platforms for international students’ national conditions education. Centered on the motto"Party Building Leads and Gathers Strength; Integration of Industry and Education Nurtures Talents", the activity took the forms of on-site visits, symposiums, signing ceremonies, research base unveiling and other events. It promoted in-depth integration of Party building and professional work, and boosted mutual empowerment between international talent cultivation and the aviation industry.

I. Visiting the Aviation Industrial Park: Experiencing Made-in-China and the Dream of Flight

Guided by professional interpreters from the park, international students visited three core areas in turn: the airport, Wanfeng Aircraft Manufacturing, and Dagao Aviation School, witnessing firsthand the vigorous development of China’s aviation industry.

First Stop: Dagao Regional Transport Airport Platform – The Place of Takeoff

Upon entering the airport, the broad runway and various parked general aviation aircraft left a deep impression on the international students. The guide introduced the airport’s functional layout, daily flight training procedures, and the park’s strategic positioning in the general aviation sector.

Second Stop: Diamond DA40 Series Aircraft Production and Supply Base – Craftsmanship from Parts to Complete Aircraft

In the Wanfeng Aircraft Manufacturing workshop, international students witnessed manufacturing processes including aviation component processing and fuselage assembly.

“I never realized that building a small aircraft requires such precise technology and teamwork,” said Xiaohua, a student from Mongolia, expressing amazement at China’s general aviation manufacturing capabilities.

Third Stop: Aviation Pilot Training and Education Base – The Cradle of Pilots

At Dagao Aviation School, students entered flight simulators and experienced basic flight operations. Instructors explained the flight training curriculum and safety standards in both Chinese and English.

“I thought this was just an ordinary airport at first, but it actually offers flight courses!” said Zhou Yang, a student from Yemen. “I’ve always been interested in flying. Today, stepping into a real aviation school for the first time makes me feel closer to the blue sky.”

 II. Signing of Party-Building Cooperation Agreement and Unveiling of International Student Research Base

After the visit, the two sides held a symposium, a Party-building cooperation signing ceremony, and the unveiling ceremony of the International Student Research Base in the park’s conference room.

Sun Gaoliang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee of Dagao Aviation High-Tech Industrial Park, detailed the park’s development into a regional general aviation industrial hub. He highlighted the industrial layout of “General Aviation + Manufacturing + Training + Low-Altitude Economy”and expressed the vision of deepening cooperation with Binzhou Polytechnic in talent cultivation and industry-education integration based on the park’s platform advantages. Tian Yongjian, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the park, presided over the symposium.

Hu Hongtao, Member of the Party Committee of Binzhou Polytechnic and Dean of Binzhou Research Institute of Applied Science and Technology, reviewed the university’s journey from Binzhou Polytechnic to its successful upgrade to Binzhou Vocational and Technical University. He noted that this leap marked a significant rise in the institution’s educational level and comprehensive strength, opening a new chapter in high-quality undergraduate vocational education and injecting stronger momentum into industry-education integration, the aviation industry, and international talent development.

Li Yudi, Secretary of the General Party Branch of the International College, shared the college’s achievements in international education, including international student education, Sino-foreign cooperative schooling, and the promotion of “Chinese + Vocational Skills” programs. She put forward a cooperation vision of building a joint international student research base and cultivating aviation-oriented international talents under the guidance of Party-building cooperation, so as to deepen university-local collaborative education.

Amid warm applause, Tian Yongjian and Li Yudi jointly signed the Party-building cooperation agreement. Sun Gaoliang and Hu Hongtao then unveiled the plaque for the “International Student Research Base”. The establishment of the base marked a substantial step forward for the university and the local area in industry-education integration and international talent cultivation.

 III. True Feelings of International Students: From “Seeing” to “Understanding”

During the event, many international students shared their genuine thoughts.

“Visiting Dagao Airport was so exciting, like a dream. I hope Binzhou will become an innovative city and keep developing better and better!”

— Modi, Yemen

“I had no idea there was an aircraft factory here. Seeing so many planes parked was amazing. I’d only seen planes in the sky before, but never witnessed how they are assembled. It was truly breathtaking.”

— Edi, Guinea

IV. Conclusion: University and Local Area Joining Hands to Cultivate International Aviation Talents

This practical exchange activity not only allowed international students to immerse themselves in China’s aviation industry development but also established a regular cooperation mechanism through Party-building collaboration. Taking this event as a starting point, Dagao Aviation High-Tech Industrial Park and Binzhou Polytechnic will continue to promote resource sharing, joint talent cultivation, and cultural integration. The International Student Research Base will serve as an important window for international students to understand Made-in-China and China’s development.

Led by Party building and integrated industry and education, under the blue sky, the story of university-local cooperation has only just begun.

 V. Introduction to Dagao Aviation High-Tech Industrial Park

Dagao Aviation High-Tech Industrial Park and Dagao Airport were approved and established together in May 2003. In December 2021, the park was restructured as an agency dispatched by the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, with the airport company becoming a municipal first-class enterprise. Under the strong leadership of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, it has developed into a distinctive aviation industrial park integrating airport operations, aviation manufacturing, aviation training, general aviation services, and aviation study tours.

 (1) Dagao Regional Transport Airport Platform

Founded in 2003, Dagao General Airport is a large-scale Class A1, Category 4C general aviation airport. It features a runway of 2,000m × 45m, an apron covering 36,000 square meters, a flight radius of 50 kilometers, and 10 designated flight training airspaces totaling 3,563 square kilometers. It is the first general aviation airport in China to implement instrument flight rules and one of the first demonstration projects in the Shandong Pilot Zone of the National Transportation Power Strategy.

(2) Diamond DA40 Series Aircraft Production and Supply Base

The Austrian Diamond DA40 series aircraft ranks among the top three in global market share. Introduced to the park in 2005, it was China’s first Sino-foreign joint venture aircraft manufacturing project. A total of 179 Bin’ao Diamond aircraft have been produced and delivered to date. Following Zhejiang Wanfeng’s acquisition of the Austrian Diamond Aircraft Company, Binzhou and Wanfeng have closely cooperated to build a DA40 series production and supply base in Binzhou.

In June 2025, the first Binzhou Wanfeng Diamond DA40NG aircraft rolled off the final assembly line, successfully completed ferry flight tests, passed inspection by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), and obtained a Production Certificate (PC). The production system completed the transition from European standards to domestic certification, ushering “Binzhou Aircraft Manufacturing” into a new stage of large-scale and international development.

 (3) Aviation Pilot Training and Education Base

The park hosts four Part 141 flight schools with more than 40 aircraft. It delivers 30,000 training hours and 80,000 flight sorties annually, training around 200 pilots each year, ranking among the national leaders in aviation training.

Dagao International Flight School has established pilot training cooperation with Air China. In 2025, it enrolled 40 new Air China cadets, bringing the total on-campus cadets to 62. To date, 137 cadets have graduated and taken up positions, continuously strengthening the distinctive “Binzhou Captain” brand.