The legendary life of 86 year old "hardcore grandmother" Miao Xiaohong, who returned to the blue sky at the age of 82 but was not defeated by cancer

Miao Xiaohong, born in Linqu, Shandong in 1937, enlisted in the military in June 1956. She was one of the second batch of female pilots in New China and carried out multiple missions such as preparing for war, transportation, and disaster relief. She ended her 31 year flying career in May 1989. On May 28, 2019, 82 year old Miao Xiaohong piloted the Taikonan P2010 aircraft and flew into the blue sky again after 30 years, setting a new record for the oldest female flight in China and earning the nickname "hardcore grandmother" across the internet.

On September 13th, as a special guest for the 2023 "Extraordinary Speech @ Women's Park" series of activities, 86 year old Miao Xiaohong and her fellow veteran partner He Xiaoming walked into the Shanghai Women and Children's Service Guidance Center to tell the legendary stories of the first and second batch of female pilots in New China dedicating their youth in the thousands of miles of space as witnesses. They also presented their own works on female pilots, such as "Daughter of the Blue Sky", to Women's Park as gifts.

Miao Xiaohong said that she is an ordinary member of Chinese women and an ordinary elderly person. She encouraged the readers present, "Whether you are a pilot or not, as long as your physical conditions permit, as long as you want to fly, dare to fly, and have the conditions to fly, you can fly. Whether your dream is to fly into the blue sky or not, as long as you have a dream, you must be brave to fly."

Miao Xiaohong shares with Shanghai readers at the Women's Garden, provided by interviewees

"Without the Women's Federation, there would be no Chinese female pilots"

"It's very heartwarming to be able to tell the story of Chinese female pilots at the 'Women's Park', which was personally named by Sister Deng Yingchao. This is also a 'Women's Home' built by 6 million women in the city with one yuan per person and generous donations from people from all walks of life." At the beginning of the event, Miao Xiaohong said.

On October 1, 1949, the People's Republic of China was established. Watching Chinese fighter jets fly over Tiananmen Square, Deng Yingchao exclaimed, "I hope one day I can see female pilots flying over Tiananmen Square." Under her call and dedication, in November 1951, the People's Republic of China had the first batch of female pilots. Miao Xiaohong was one of the second batch of female pilots in New China. "Without the Women's Federation, there would be no Chinese female pilots," she said sincerely.

On November 30, 1951, the first batch of female pilots graduated successfully. In March 1952, the country held a takeoff ceremony for the first group of female pilots. Six female pilots flew six Li 2 aircraft over Tiananmen Square. The People's Daily reported on the front page of this historic event. At that time, Miao Xiaohong, who was a freshman in junior high school, copied the entire text into her diary and often flipped through it, sowing the seeds of her lifelong bond with a female pilot.

In the summer of 1956, the military came to Miao Xiaohong's school to recruit air force pilots, both male and female. Miao Xiaohong registered and the physical examination results showed that she was the only qualified female student among all the applicants in the school. Holding the enlistment notice in her hand, she couldn't believe that her dream had become a reality: "Am I going to heaven?"

"In extreme flight, bring glory to female pilots"

After entering the army, Miao Xiaohong began to undergo arduous training. She picked soil and rubbed bleeding marks on her shoulders; Practice spinning stairs and fixing rollers over a hundred times. Among the more than 140 female students who entered the preparatory school together, only 21 became pilots, which is the second batch of female pilots in the history of New China. Due to excellent training, Miao Xiaohong was rated as a "Five Good Student" and achieved third class merit. Over the next 30 years of her flying career, she carried out countless important missions and encountered multiple extreme flights.

Young Miao Xiaohong provided by interviewees

In 1963, Hebei Province was hit by a major flood disaster, and Miao Xiaohong's troops were closest to the disaster area, undertaking the task of airdropping supplies. One day, Miao Xiaohong led her crew to fly over the destination. Due to poor visibility, even maintaining a basic flying altitude of 1200 meters was a problem, let alone accurately throwing supplies into the disaster area. "At that time, the natural disaster had just ended, and the materials we threw were bags of pancakes. If we threw them into the water and wasted the pancakes, it would be a crime!" Under the control of Miao Xiaohong, the plane circled and descended to a height of 80 meters before finally seeing the scene clearly. She risked the risk of a plane crash and accurately delivered bags of supplies to the people in the disaster area.

In 1980, Miao Xiaohong encountered a thunderstorm while on a mission to Guangzhou. At that time, there were over 100 foreign tourists on board the plane, and the throttle had dropped to a low-power state for landing. Low clouds and heavy rain suddenly covered the airport, making it impossible to see the runway. Miao Xiaohong decisively pushed the accelerator to the full power position, pulling the lever to climb while notifying the crew: "Go around!" The plane plunged into the dark clouds and bounced in the chaotic air masses. Miao Xiaohong held the steering wheel tightly, and finally made the plane land safely in the storm with her landing skills in rainy days that she had learned for many years. Under the insistence of the passengers, Miao Xiaohong arrived in the cabin, and foreign tourists were amazed by the remarkable Chinese female captain.

Looking back on her flying experience, Miao Xiaohong said, "Pilots can be said to be made of gold by the country. It is the country and the people who have trained me from a poor peasant child to a mature pilot."

"As long as the country needs it, I will continue to contribute."

In 1989, Miao Xiaohong grounded her flight and retired. At first, she lived a fulfilling life, but soon became bored with nothing. His wife pulled her to the study and said, "You are sick and lovesick! You can't live without Blue Sky." He took out Miao Xiaohong's Notes of a Female Navigator and How Steel Was Tempered from the bookcase, which she had liked to read since she was a student, and encouraged her to write a biography for Chinese female pilots and Blue Sky sisters.

With the help of troops, comrades, and her spouse, Miao Xiaohong has published nearly a hundred literary works in newspapers and magazines, including works such as "Daughter of the Blue Sky", "First Batch of Female Pilots in the Republic", and "Women's Sky".

When writing "A Generation of Tianjiao: A History of Early Female Pilots in China and Foreign Countries," Miao Xiaohong discovered that some female pilots in foreign countries were still flying at the age of over 80. "Chinese female pilots are not inferior to them. China is a 'female pilot' country, and we cannot leave a gap without advanced age of 'female pilots'. Moreover, the integration of knowledge and action is the highest level of education, and I cannot neglect practicing optics."

Miao Xiaohong provided by interviewees

After more than half a year of physical recovery training and with the support of Hua'an Navigation Company, on May 28, 2019, Miao Xiaohong flew back to the blue sky. On the plane, she connected with her comrades and sang "I love the blue sky of our motherland" from the sky to the ground. Miao Xiaohong said, "The joy of singing the same song together in heaven and earth is only for me to enjoy. This day is my happiest and most proud day. I want to shout: My motherland, your 82 year old daughter, has flown into the blue sky again today."

In 2021, Miao Xiaohong was diagnosed with rectal cancer. While undergoing painful cancer treatment, she persisted in writing and completed a nearly 300000 word manuscript titled "I am a Blue Sky Female Soldier". "When writing books, I often enter a state of selflessness, and the effect of relieving itching and pain is remarkable," said Miao Xiaohong.

Over the years, Miao Xiaohong, who has always been low-key, and her husband have traveled to different places despite their age and illness. She said, "What is my purpose in writing articles and books? Isn't it just to let more people see the history of female pilots and benefit from the 'spirit of female pilots'? So, whenever a unit asks me to tell the stories in the books, I will respond to every request."

This event is hosted by the Shanghai Women and Children's Service Guidance Center, organized by Xinchao Bookstore, supported by People's Daily Publishing House, and co organized by the Shanghai Federation of Industry and Commerce Cultural Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai Federation of Overseas Chinese Women's Association, Shanghai Women's Entrepreneurs Association Better Life Special Committee, Ruijin Second Road Street Women's Federation, Chuangmengqiao Women's Federation, and Xinchao Bookstore Women's Federation. Miao Xiaohong's comrade in arms, Xu Junqing, who was also the second batch of female pilots in New China, and Lu Yanping, the daughter of Ruan Hezhen, the first female pilot to fly solo in New China, attended as special guests.