Mutual admiration
The three crew members of the Shenzhou-9 manned space mission, Jing Haipeng, Liu Wang and Liu Yang, attended a series of events non-stop over the weekend in Hong Kong. Their visit not only stoked renewed space fever in Hong Kong, but also boosted local residents’ understanding of the nation and their sense of national identity. The astronauts’ interactions with local residents are characterized by mutual admiration fi lled with true sentiment.
The country’s astronauts occupy a special place in the hearts of Hong Kong residents. Back in 2003, when the city was fighting to survive the Asian financial turmoil and the SARS epidemic, Yang Liwei, the very first Chinese national in space, paid a visit here as a member of the Shenzhou-5 manned space mission delegation and boosted our confidence for mounting the charge to defeat the twin scourges and reviving the local economy.
This time the Shenzhou-9 manned space mission took place shortly before Hong Kong celebrated the 15th anniversary of the handover. Local residents watched live broadcasts of the whole process with great interest as well as pride every step of the way and hoped to meet the three astronauts after their safe return.
During their meetings with representatives of local primary and secondary school students and teachers, as well as those from the eight universities, the three astronauts shared many experiences from their 13-day experience in space and what they learned about life and success from a new perspective. They also encouraged the students to commit to pursuing their own goals and dreams.
Meanwhile, the three astronauts also expressed their admiration for Hong Kong during their stay. They observed Hong Kong from outer space more than once and found the Pearl of the Orient looked exceptionally beautiful when the spacecraft flew over the city during the day.
While here they were treated to a panoramic view of Victoria Harbour from the Peak on Hong Kong Island and were greatly impressed by the modern city. It was an inspiring experience for Hong Kong residents to see and to interact with the three Shenzhou-9 crew members in person and it will no doubt enhance their pride as Chinese nationals.
This is an excerpted translation of a Wen Wei Po editorial published on Aug 13.