Over the year of 2012, with the successive commissioning of the Liaoning and Shandong aircraft carriers, Chinese aircraft carriers slowly extended their tracks towards the ocean, occupying more and more headlines in world military news and becoming increasingly known to the world. After 13 years, this story will start a new chapter. The Fujian warship has officially joined the naval combat sequence, and the People's Navy has entered the era of "three aircraft carriers" with great enthusiasm. With the long voyage of aircraft carriers, Chinese sailors have also ushered in a new era of their own. They integrate their youth and passion into the vast sea, grow together with the People's Navy on a new journey, write a magnificent epic of the "Three Aircraft Carrier Era", deeply interpret the Navy's continuous progress in transformation and construction, and confidently demonstrate the responsibility and commitment of a great country to safeguard peace and embrace the world. More than a decade may have been a fleeting moment in the long river of human history, but for the Chinese Navy's aircraft carrier industry, it was a glorious period of turbulence. Xing Weiyao, a journalist from the People's Liberation Army News and Communication Center who has interviewed the Shandong warship, was invited to attend the advanced deeds report meeting of the ship's takeoff and landing support squadron. She condensed her feelings for the navy, passion for the aircraft carrier, and true feelings for the officers and soldiers into three philosophical reflections: "I thought the brilliant rainbow was just a beam of light, but it reflected the figure of struggle through wind and rain; I thought the speed of the warship was just a parameter, but it depicted the firm footsteps of advancing into deep blue; I thought the deck under my feet was just a distance, but it extended the path of a strong army towards rejuvenation!" This was a solemn ceremony and a grand declaration. On November 5, 2025, Sanya, Hainan, China A certain military port. On this day, President Xi attended the flag raising ceremony for the Fujian warship and boarded the ship for inspection. This is a solemn ceremony and a grand declaration. At the ceremony, more than 2000 representatives from the navy and aircraft carrier construction units gazed at the slowly rising five-star red flag. The national anthem and military song were sung loudly, and everyone present was filled with passion and tears. Those are tears of excitement, tears of happiness, tears of pride! Due to work reasons, the author has boarded the Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian ships more than 60 times, conducted 16 sea trials and training with three aircraft carriers, and interviewed various personnel such as aircraft carrier chief designers and chief constructors, carrier based aircraft chief designers, formation commanders, captains and political commissars, carrier based aircraft pilots, military representatives, and ordinary sailors. At the flag unveiling ceremony of the Fujian warship, the author saw many familiar faces, including military officers and soldiers, shipyard workers, and scientific research backbones, many of whom were accustomed to "big scenes". Even so, seeing this scene, they all choked up with tears in their eyes and said, "From the Liaoning ship being put into service to the Fujian ship being awarded the flag, it has been 13 years since the aircraft carrier was launched. The speed of aircraft carrier development is astonishing." "When singing the national anthem, I feel like everyone is not singing it out loud, but shouting it out from the depths of their hearts. Having enlisted for just over half a year, I am fortunate enough to have such a grand event, which will surely inspire me to pursue my dreams and move forward! ”When Wei Guohao, a new recruit from the Fujian warship who joined the army in March this year, talked to me about his feelings about attending the ceremony, he was extremely excited. The 19th century British writer John Ruskin once said, "As a social animal, the most respectable thing that humans have created is nothing more than a main ship." For naval officers and soldiers, aircraft carriers are no longer just a main ship, but a totem of the People's Navy, a symbol of the strength and emotions of hundreds of thousands of naval soldiers, and a great national treasure that has been elevated to the spiritual level. For the people of the whole country, aircraft carriers are no longer simply a new type of equipment, but a collective consciousness projection of the Chinese nation's billions of sons and daughters towards sea power and rejuvenation. They are a sense of security, confidence, and power source. For the international community, aircraft carriers are no longer just a naval force, but a symbol of a country's comprehensive strength and international status, a reliance to ensure respect for national voices, and a backing to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests. For the officers and soldiers of the Fujian ship, it seems particularly simple: 'This is our' home '.' On the day when the ship's hull was painted, the officers and soldiers were as happy as Chinese New Year, considering it another important moment for the ship's growth. Many people voluntarily requested to participate in the painting work in order to leave a historical mark. Zhang Yao, an officer of the ship, said, "It's like our ship has been given an ID card number. This dazzling number is not only a kind of identity and emotional belonging, but also a heavy responsibility and mission for us." Standing on the broad flight deck of the aircraft carrier, looking at the sea and facing the wind, watching the ship's fighter planes take off and land in waves, listening to the symphony of steel torrents played by the roar of the engine and the beating of the waves, one can't help but feel at ease. From the moment you report here, everyone's fate has been closely linked to national honor, everyone's life is destined to be closely linked to the mission of the navy, and everyone's youth is destined to be closely linked to the development of aircraft carriers... "More than a decade ago, at the Liaoning Ship Receiving Force Construction Conference, the commander's passionate words seemed to transcend time and space, echoing in his ears even after years. The imagined appearance of an aircraft carrier is growing and shaping day by day, and the people who produce and control aircraft carriers are also growing step by step. Before seeing the aircraft carrier platform for the first time, Wang Wei, a mechanical and electrical soldier, has been describing the appearance of China's first aircraft carrier in his mind: how powerful should such a large ship be? When the shipyard laid the first keel, a netizen kept imagining the appearance of a domestic aircraft carrier in front of the blurry satellite image: is it a replica of the Liaoning ship or a modified version? When the first steel plate was welded, Qian Yun, a welding worker from China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, could never have imagined that the shape of the steel structure she was welding would be a "cub version" of China's first electromagnetic catapult aircraft carrier. Time is passing by little by little, and the imagined appearance of aircraft carriers is growing and shaping day by day. The people who produce and operate aircraft carriers are also growing step by step. During the 13 years from 2012 to 2025, the three of them also underwent a comprehensive transformation and improvement. From the Liaoning ship to the Fujian ship, Wang Wei has grown into a professional technical expert on board, serving for a full 30 years. He dedicated his most beautiful youth to the aircraft carrier industry; The netizen's name is Liu Ming. He joined the army in August 2014 and later transferred to the Shandong ship. He is currently a soldier in the takeoff and landing support squadron. The domestically produced aircraft carrier he once longed for has now truly become his "home". Welding worker Qian Yun established the first real connection between the welding gun and the national heavy machinery. As a business backbone, she was named one of the top 100 team leaders and a moving figure in the shipyard for 2024. Some people say that each of us is a fragment of someone else's soul, just combined in a new way. ”The same applies to the construction of aircraft carriers. A great nation's giant ship embodies the wisdom and strength of numerous defense technology and industrial groups, including engineering design, shipbuilding, aviation industry, electronic information technology, etc. They are perfectly combined with the military to form a powerful weapon for winning the sea and air. The formation of aircraft carrier units is a large collection of thousands of excellent souls, which have been combined, trained, and refined into a strong combat collective. Wang Wei and Liu Ming are among them. The first ship leader of Liaoning told me that when the receiving unit was established, with the care and support of higher authorities and sister units, they selected and deployed more than 1000 outstanding officers and soldiers from more than 100 naval regiments and above, through layers of assessment from hundreds or even thousands of miles, covering the five major branches of the navy's surface vessels, aviation, submarines, marine corps, and coastal defense forces. Among them were winners of the National May Fourth Youth Medal, outstanding local university officers, as well as outstanding commanders and staff officers of the entire army, making it an elite naval force. The officers and soldiers stationed in the thousands of miles of maritime territory, north and south of the Yangtze River, did not have time to wash away the dust of the naval exercise ground, and did not have time to say hello to their families. They gathered from all directions on the big stage of the aircraft carrier industry by plane, ship, or train, becoming the protagonists of the times. Li Zhe, an officer in the aviation department of Fujian Navy, is born in the 1990s and studied at the Naval Engineering University. Inspired by the TV drama "Flagship", he dreams of getting on a ship. As a result of the joint training and diversion upon graduation, he was assigned to the land service unit and could only gradually drift away from his dreams. Fortunately, the times favor dream chasers. He seized the historic opportunity of the great development of aircraft carriers and was selected to be transferred to the aviation support department of the Liaoning ship. Later, he worked at the Shandong and Fujian ships, exceeding expectations and realizing his dream. I was a 'novice' on the Liaoning ship, and gradually grew into a sapling on the Shandong ship. Now that I am serving on the Fujian ship, I can provide shelter from wind and rain for those who come later. ”Looking back on the journey of pursuing his dreams after graduating from military academy, Li Zhe was filled with emotions. Fujian naval officer Yu Lihao showed me a statistical data, showing that there are more than 50 officers and soldiers on their ships who, like Li Zhe, have served in the Liaoning, Shandong, and Fujian aircraft carriers. Warrior Wu Cheng was a missile launcher on the Liaoning ship, a commanding squad leader on the Shandong ship, and promoted to department captain on the Fujian ship. In his own words, "My experience of growing up on an aircraft carrier is like playing video games when I was a child, passing levels one by one, and advancing level by level. All the efforts in the front are laying the foundation for the later stages." The growth of an aircraft carrier is not smooth sailing, and the long journey must withstand countless storms and setbacks. The growth of aircraft carrier personnel is also full of hardships. Without a thousand trials and tribulations, they cannot achieve phoenix rebirth. The magnificent narrative portrayed by the broad flight deck is like the youth flower watered by the aircraft carrier personnel with sweat, tears, and blood. From the Liaoning and Shandong ships to the Fujian ship, China's aircraft carrier industry has achieved three leaps. In the eyes of historians, military strength is a "relative value" rather than an "absolute value". The thought that we only had our first aircraft carrier a hundred years after its birth inevitably weighs heavily on our hearts. Since then, I have been hoping that we can have more advanced aircraft carriers and carrier based aircraft. ”In November 2012, Dai Mingmeng, a heroic test pilot of aircraft carrier fighter jets, piloted the "Flying Shark" to intercept the Liaoning ship for the first time. At that moment, he did not become complacent, but soberly saw the gap. Against the backdrop of the times, this concern is even more apparent: more than two months after China's first aircraft carrier entered service, the United States' first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the Enterprise, has ended its 51 year service life, and the latest Ford class nuclear powered aircraft carrier is about to be completed. On one hand, conventional power ski jump aircraft carriers have just been commissioned, and on the other hand, nuclear powered catapult aircraft carriers are beginning to retire. Faced with the huge generation gap with world military powers and the backwardness of the relative strength of aircraft carriers, people's boiling hearts quickly calmed down: China's aircraft carriers have just begun to take off, and there is still a long way to go in the future. The development process from the Liaoning and Shandong ships to the Fujian ship was not easy. It involved both the Chinese aircraft carrier's starting from scratch and arduous exploration, as well as catching up and overtaking on curves. ”Military commentator Wu Wei analyzed that "although the Liaoning aircraft carrier was modified from a second-hand aircraft carrier, it is still the first one that China has run on the world aircraft carrier track, and it has great pioneering significance." As the first aircraft carrier of China, although its performance is not advanced compared to that of a strong country's navy, the Liaoning aircraft carrier has at least solved the problem and touched the "stone" that can lead the way across the river. The beginning of everything is difficult, but once the beginning is set, nothing is difficult. Officer Wang Yong from the Naval Equipment Department said:“