They have certainly beefed up their air force since I used to knock about with the PLAAF at Shanghaiguan in 1998. Then the main equipment then was the Shenyang J6 where the pilots were paid about the same as I paid my housekeeper and flew about 40 hrs/year.
Came the turn of the century and conscription was phased down to a small degree with a massive enhancement of T&Cs for regular personnel. The equipment changed as the J6s were piled up in a quiet corner of the airfield and a line of J7s replaced them. With them came an enhancement of accommodation and living conditions.
Shanghaiguan has now lost its ground attack role and it now a PLA naval aviation unit with Y8 maritime patrol aircraft. It has been expanded beyond belief since I was there and looks as if it has a training college with a clutch of J7s to play with.
Google Earth will show a line of Y8s and two of them have a radar assembly on top.
There are now some good reasons why they said that they were proud to serve their country.