Taikonaut sparks enthusiasm for space as China celebrates its Space Day

HEFEI -- Rounds of applause broke out as the first Chinese female astronaut Liu Yang shared her space adventure with students at the University of Science and Technology of China on Monday.

"I get excited every time I look up at the sky because I know we have a space home up there, which was built by our Chinese astronauts," said Liu when she shared China's manned space program achievements and her own stories and dreams.

With the launch of China's Shenzhou Ⅸ spacecraft in June 2012, Liu became the first Chinese female astronaut in space, spending 13 days there. In June 2022, she re-entered space 10 years later in China's Shenzhou XIV spaceship and completed multiple tasks, including the construction of the space station's T-shape structure with other crew members during their six-month mission.

More than 500 students from different schools in Hefei, the capital of east China's Anhui Province, listened closely to the science popularization lecture on site, while many more participated in the event through live streaming in different parts of the country.

"How do you overcome various challenges in work?" "How do astronauts drink water in space?" "What's your feeling when you first enter space?" Several students were lucky enough to be picked to ask Liu questions after the lecture.

"I'm excited to attend this activity. Now I know what preparations and training astronauts need to make before going into space and what it is like to work in space," said Zhou Ziqi, 14, from the middle school attached to USTC.

"About 270 students from our school attended the event today. Being the first female astronaut in China, Liu Yang proved that everyone can pursue their dreams regardless of gender," noted Sun Yan, a teacher from the middle school attached to USTC.

"I believe the female students would be more confident in their decisions in the future," Sun added.

The activity was a part of the celebration of Space Day of China, which falls on April 24 every year. In 2016, China selected this date to celebrate Space Day to honor the launch of its first satellite "Dongfanghong 1" into space on April 24, 1970.