People hold flowers at the tomb of Wang Wei martyr in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province on April 1, 2022. Friday marks the 21st anniversary of the sacrifice of Wang. Photo: cnsphoto

On Friday, Chinese netizens swarmed to social media platforms to commemorate Chinese air force pilot Wang Wei who died when his fighter jet collided with a US military reconnaissance aircraft in the South China Sea on April 1, 2001. Today marks the 21st anniversary of his death. Many commented that Wang inspires more people to fight for the motherland. 

As of Friday, several hashtags related to Wang are the top trending topics on China's social media Sina Weibo. Some of them include "#SacrificeOFWangWei'' and ''#Calling81192.'' 81192 is the number of Wang's fighter jet. 

Wang, a Chinese pilot serving in the Navy Air Force, was missing and then assumed dead after a midair collision between his fighter and a US reconnaissance plane. He was on duty tracing and monitoring the surveillance plane which illegally entered China's air space, and parachuted out after his fighter jet was rammed and destroyed by the US plane. 

Many Chinese netizens posted video clips of Wang together with the progress of the air force saying, "81192, the motherland has become stronger and we now have the aircraft carriers - the Liaoning, the Shandong. We hope to see your fighter jet take off from the deck of our own aircraft carrier." 

"Hero Wang Wei has never left us and he has always reminded us to make our own country better and not to be bullied by the US or any other countries!"

"Wang's sacrifice in 2001, the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade in 1999 … These are all the debt of blood that the US owes to China. However, instead of making self-reflection, it is racking brains to contain China. The US is the biggest trouble maker in the world!" one user commented.

For the past 21 years, Chinese people haven't forgotten Wang. Aside from the online commemoration every year, people also go to his tomb in Hangzhou with flowers. This year some brought the model of the J-20 fighter jet to let the hero share the joy of the country's current military capability. 

On Friday, the PLA Southern Command Theater also released an article to commemorate Wang and wrote that with the spirit of Wang, PLA soldiers are passing the missions of protecting the South China Sea from one to another, flying fighter jets and driving the aircraft carriers to defend the blue sky and the sea. 

The soldiers of the South China Sea will always remember the history and strengthen combat capability, said the article.