Zee Yee Lee (; 1891–1944) was a Chinese aviation pioneer. After becoming the first Chinese pilot to earn a Royal Aero Club certificate in October 1911, he brought two Etrich Taube monoplanes to China and flew on over Shanghai in April 1912. He was by some accounts China's first aviator, and was also one of the first Chinese aircraft designers. He served as the chief instructor and head of the Nanyuan Aviation School in Beijing for 15 years, and later taught at the predecessor of the Republic of China Air Force Academy.

Biography

Lee was born in 1891 in Shanghai, Qing dynasty China, with his ancestral home in Dinghai, Zhejiang. His courtesy name was Yizhi (翼之). He studied in London, England, where he graduated from an industrial school in 1909. A year later, he entered the school of the newly established

Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable a ...

to study aviation and aircraft design. Howard Pixton was one of his flight instructors. On 17 October 1911, Lee flew a Bristol Boxkite on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

and passed the test to become the first Chinese aviator to earn a Royal Aero Club certificate (No. 148). Rumpler Taube monoplane

Meanwhile, the Xinhai Revolution broke out in China and toppled the Qing dynasty. At the request of the provisional

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

government, Lee purchased two Etrich Taube monoplanes from Austria at the end of 1911 and brought them back to China. He was appointed the chief pilot of the Shanghai Military Government. On 13 and 14 April 1912, Lee flew a Taube over the Jiangwan Racecourse in Shanghai to celebrate the success of the Xinhai Revolution. According to

Frank Dikötter Frank Dikötter (; ) is a Dutch historian who specialises in modern China. Dikötter has been Chair Professor of Humanities at the University of Hong Kong since 2006. Before relocating to Hong Kong, he was Professor of the Modern History of Ch ...

and others, Lee was the first Chinese aviator, although

Feng Ru Feng Ru (; 1883–1912), also known as Fung Joe Guey (), was a pioneering Chinese aviator and aircraft designer. Life and career Born in Enping, Guangdong, Feng moved to the United States at the age of twelve, living and working in various parts ...

, who had flown earlier in the United States, is also commonly credited as the first Chinese aviator. Zee Yee Lee on The Eastern Miscellany

Lee enlisted in the newly established flying battalion of the Republic of China Army in Nanjing. In March 1913, President Yuan Shikai moved the battalion to

Nanyuan Airport Beijing Nanyuan Airport was a military airbase and a secondary commercial airport of Beijing. Located in Fengtai District, south of the 4th Ring Road and from Tiananmen Square, Nanyuan Airport was first opened in 1910, making it the oldes ...

in Beijing, and Lee was appointed chief flight instructor as well as head of maintenance. In September 1913, he became the chief instructor of the Nanyuan Aviation School; he was promoted to head of the school five years later. On 10 and 11 March 1914, Lee and two other pilots flew between Beijing and Baoding, establishing China's first airline route. He was also instrumental in establishing the first aerial mail passenger service between Beijing and Tianjin, which was inaugurated on 7 May 1920. Because of sabotage by the troops of the Fengtian clique when they retreated from Beijing, the Nanyuan Aviation School was closed in 1928. Lee moved south to serve the Kuomintang government, and was appointed deputy director of the Aviation Corps of the

Central Military Academy The Republic of China Military Academy () is the service academy for the army of the Republic of China, located in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung. Previously known as the the military academy produced commanders who fought in many of China' ...

, which later became the Republic of China Air Force Academy in Jianqiao, Hangzhou. He also designed a

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

and became one of China's first aircraft designers. He published at least two books on aviation. Lee left the aviation industry after the 1930s. He died in 1944.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Zee Yee 1891 births 1944 deaths Chinese aviators Aviation pioneers Chinese expatriates in England Engineers from Shanghai Republic of China Air Force personnel Chinese aircraft designers

Biography

See also

References