A man from southern China who donated 140 yuan (US$20) as a child to help build an aircraft carrier has seen his dream of the country becoming a stronger nation come true.

To top his wish, in November, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation invited him to visit the carrier fleet and gave him a commemorative watch.

Chen Yuwen, from Qinzhou city in Guangxi province, developed an early interest in the military, influenced by his father’s background as a soldier.

In 1999, at just five years old, Chen overheard his father and his friends discussing a donation to help build China’s first aircraft carrier.

At the time, China had no aircraft carriers, and the country was reeling from the news that North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) warplanes had bombed the Chinese embassy in the former Yugoslavia, killing three Chinese reporters.