 On 13 and 14 April 1912, Lee flew a Taube over the Jiangwan Racecourse in Shanghai to celebrate the success of the Xinhai Revolution.According to Frank Dikötter and others, Lee was the first Chinese aviator, although Feng Ru, who had flown earlier in the United States, is also commonly credited as the first Chinese aviator.Lee enlisted in the newly established flying battalion of the Republic of China Army in Nanjing.