On October 19, 1998, an unusual event unfolded in the skies above Changzhou, China. What started as a typical evening at a military flight training base in Hebei province quickly turned into a prolonged encounter that would capture the attention of both military officials and civilians.

…

At approximately 8:00 PM local time, four separate military radar stations in Hebei province simultaneously detected an anomalous object in the airspace directly above the Changzhou flight training base. The unidentified blip on the radar screens immediately caught the attention of the operators, who were trained to recognize and categorize various types of aircraft signatures. The object’s radar return didn’t match any known aircraft patterns. Its size, speed, and altitude fluctuations puzzled the experienced radar technicians, who quickly relayed the information to the base commander, Colonel Li.

As word spread about the radar anomaly, personnel at the base turned their attention to the sky. Soon, civilians in the surrounding area also noticed the unusual object. In total, at least 140 people on the ground reported seeing something extraordinary that night. Initial reports described the object as a small, star-like point of light. However, as it apparently descended to a lower altitude, witnesses were able to discern more details. They described an object with a distinct mushroom-shaped dome on its upper section. The lower part of the craft featured a flat bottom covered with an array of bright, multicolored lights that rotated continuously. The rotating lights created a mesmerizing display against the night sky, drawing even more attention from ground observers. The object’s shape and lighting configuration didn’t match any known aircraft, military or civilian, further adding to the intrigue of the situation.