The Zhuhai-based AG600 team that developed the world's largest amphibious aircraft was among 13 collectives and 30 individuals awarded May 4th Medals by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League and All-China Youth Federation.

The medal is a top honor for young Chinese who are expected to carry forward the spirit of the May 4th Movement. The patriotic campaign, launched in 1919 by young Chinese students and intellectuals to fight against imperialism and feudalism, was the beginning of the New Democratic Revolution in China.

Awardees are recognized as vital forces emerging from major construction, projects, events and incidents, pioneers in implementing the five development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing, as well as models for patriotism, collectivism and socialism.

Team members [Photo courtesy China Youth Daily]

The AG600 (codenamed Kunlong) is a large special-purpose civil aircraft independently developed by China to assist in forest fire control, water rescue, and marine environment monitoring and protection.

Its R&D team set up at the Zhuhai base of China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) in September 2009, consists of 865 members, most of them young. They achieved technology breakthroughs, and created more than 2,000 assembly instructions over the past nine years while completing overall, preliminary, and detailed designs, and airworthiness pre-checks on 42 major structural components.

The amphibious aircraft conducted its maiden flight in December 2017 and completed its first water takeoff and landing in October 2018.

Other collective awardees include researchers of simulated space lab Yuegong-1, or Lunar Palace 1, a Sichuan Airlines crew headed by pilot Liu Chuanjian who made a successful emergency landing of Flight 3U8633 and thus saved 128 passengers aboard in May 2018, and Women's Football Team of Qiongzhong Li & Miao Autonomous County of Hainan Province.