Soaring dream: Aviation fan sells 16 million paper planes in 5 years

Folding paper planes in class, and reading aviation magazines after school, the then-11-year-old Liu Dong never imagined his childhood interest would turn into a lifetime career.

In 2007, Liu was unhappy with his work, and started to rethink his career path. It was then that paper plane, his childhood dream, knocked at his heart.

It was no easy task to turn his childhood interest into a profession, as Liu wanted his paper plane to be ingenious. Without readymade drawings, Liu created his own design based on childhood memories, thanks to his art degree from Qingdao University.

"I was exhausted," Liu said, recalling the 10 months he spent locked in his room designing the plane. He sold his first model to Singapore, and his business took off right after the launch of his store on Taobao, Alibaba's e-marketplace.

But Liu's business crashed soon after. So he attended a TV talent show for inventors in 2008 to secure free advertising. The 46-year-old became the biggest winner of the show, with teachers at youth centers introducing paper planes in science activities across campuses. The Aviation Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport even listed Liu's paper plane as special equipment for youth aerospace model competition.