China P861 2 Fen 1953 UNC—Airplane Lisunov Li-2 (Soviet DC-3)

Color: Light Blue-Green
Front: Lisunov Li-2 airplane (built in USSR under licence of Douglas DC-3)
Back: Coat of arms
Size: 96 x 45 mm (3.78 x 1.77 inches)

The Lisunov Li-2: A Legend of the Skies

The Lisunov Li-2 was the Soviet Union's licensed version of the iconic American Douglas DC-3, one of the most transformative aircraft in aviation history. Produced from 1939 onward at the Tashkent aviation plant under the direction of engineer Boris Lisunov, the Li-2 was adapted to meet Soviet industrial standards and the demands of an enormous, rugged country. With its twin radial engines, corrugated metal skin, and remarkable reliability, it became the workhorse of Soviet civil and military aviation for decades.

During World War II, the Li-2 served as a troop transport, cargo hauler, and even a night bomber — earning a reputation for toughness in the harshest conditions. After the war, it continued flying across the vast Soviet territories, connecting remote regions that no other aircraft could reach economically.

The Li-2 in China

Following the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the Soviet Union provided critical support to build China's nascent civil aviation infrastructure. The Li-2 was among the first aircraft supplied to CAAC (Civil Aviation Administration of China), forming the backbone of early Chinese commercial air routes throughout the 1950s. It connected major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, while also opening up remote regions in the interior and southwest — areas previously accessible only by land.

So significant was the Li-2 to China's early aviation story that it was immortalized on this 1953 banknote series — a deliberate symbol of modernization, Soviet-Chinese friendship, and the promise of a connected nation. Holding this note is holding a piece of that pivotal era, when a repurposed American design, built in Soviet factories, helped China take flight.