Despite its size and the fact that it's very much the nation's capital, Beijing currently only
has one known aircraft on display in the city other than those to be found in the various museums
here, although it's entirely possible that there are examples of the ubiquitous 'MiGs' and other
more common aircraft elsewhere that simply haven't been documented yet.
Agricultural Exhibition Centre
The Agricultural Exhibition Centre (also known as the Agricultural Museum - the Chinese can be
translated either way - although there didn’t seem to be any evidence of anything that could really
be said to be a museum when I visited) is located to the east of the city centre in the Chaoyang
district, an area better known for being the home of many of the foreign embassies in the city. For
some unknown reason there is a former China United Airlines Il-18 preserved in the trees here (just
visible off to the left when at the main gate). I'm not sure whether the centre/museum is actually
open to the public, but the guard at the gate didn't seem to have a problem with me going and taking
photos when I inquired. Apparently the aircraft has now been turned into a cafe, so access shouldn't
present any problems. Winter is definitely the best time to get any photos, however, as in summer
much of the aircraft would probably be obscured by leaves!
