More than 3,000 people attended a memorial service on Thursday for Luo Yang, former head of production for the J-15 fighter jet, in Shenyang, Liaoning province.
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Luo, chairman and general manager of Shenyang Aircraft Corp, died of a heart attack on Sunday after observing the culmination of his life's work; a J-15 landing on China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. He was 51.
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Thousands of people, including representatives from the navy and air force, joined relatives and colleagues in bidding a final and emotional farewell at Huilonggang Cemetery for Revolutionaries where Luo's body was placed and covered with a flag of the Communist Party of China.
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Lin Zuoming, president of Aviation Industry Corp of China that owns Shenyang Aircraft Corp, offered his condolences.
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"We are very sad to lose such a great brother and colleague who was worthy of our utmost respect," he said.
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His colleagues held banners in front of the mourning hall. "Transfer grief into power and finish Luo Yang's mission," read one.
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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said that Luo's death is "a huge loss to the Party as well as the nation".
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Tian Feng, from Shenyang Aircraft Corp's labor union, said that Luo's dedication to his job was inspirational.
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"Luo was a charming colleague, he always greeted other workers," he said.
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Luo also took responsibility to make sure the workers were well looked after and he boosted wages, he added.
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In the Shenyang Aircraft plant, near the cemetery, more than 15,000 workers observed a minute's silence.
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Technicians at the J-15 assembly line stayed at their posts in tribute to Luo, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
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An air force officer, who was in charge of J-15 test flights, said he found it difficult to accept Luo's death and the poignant timing of it.
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"The fighter jet had just successfully landed on the deck of the Liaoning, but Mr Luo will never see it happen again," the officer said on condition of anonymity.
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He used to talk frequently with Luo about the fighter's technology.
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Sun Li, a journalist at China National Radio, said that he burst into tears when told about Luo's death as he was reporting from the aircraft carrier on Sunday.
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"I changed my schedule and drove to Shenyang immediately,'' he wrote on his micro blog on Tuesday. "IÂ wanted to say goodbye to my friend. Take care, Mr Luo."
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Tributes poured in from netizens, including many renowned micro-bloggers.
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Guo Mingyi, a steel worker honored by the government as a "modern-day Lei Feng'', said that he was touched by Luo's devotion to the State's interests.
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"Advanced defense technology cannot be purchased, it has to be developed at home," he said in his micro blog, which has more than 14.9 million followers.
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"Just as netizens were showing their appreciation of his work with 'carrier-style' stances, Luo Yang left us forever," he said.
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Luo's sudden death has put scientists and their heavy workload into public focus. Luo's recent schedule had been hectic.
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Before going to Shenyang on Nov 17, Luo had attended Airshow China 2012 in Zhuhai, Guangdong province. Immediately after the air show, he got on a helicopter and headed directly to the J-15 fighter base for test flight preparations.
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Luo usually started work at 6 am and returned home around midnight. He did not smoke or drink alcohol, but he had high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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"He stood within 20 meters of the take-off point for the J-15, whose spectacular roar was almost unbearable," Meng Jun, chairman of AVIC Shenyang Liming Aero-Engine (Group) Corporation LTD, told Xinhua.
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Xu Zhangrong, a doctor at the 306th Hospital of the PLA, said that people should pay more attention to the risks of heart disease.
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"Luo Yang died from heart disease. People should be aware of factors contributing to this, including blood pressure. Weight is also an issue and people should quit smoking," he said.
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Guan Ying, a researcher at the Tianjin Academy of Social Sciences, said on her micro blog that Luo seemed very tired in TV footage taken on the carrier.