Lunar exploration close to daily life

In the wake of the launch of China's second lunar probe, Chang'e-2, space experts explain how the lunar exploration program affects the lives of ordinary people.

Facts and figures about lunar probe Chang'e-2

China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e II, is scheduled to blast off at 6:59:57 pm Friday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center (XSLC) in Southwest China's Sichuan province, the XSLC authorities announced Friday.

Life is down to earth on space launch base

The Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province is attracting global attention once again as China plans to send their second lunar probe, the Chang'e-2, into space.

China's Space Activities in 2006

The State Council Information Office published a white paper entitled China's Space Activities in 2006. This is the second white paper that the Chinese government has issued since 2000 concerning China's space activities.

Civilian use of satellites expanded

The authorities are promoting the use of satellites for remote sensing, navigation and communications to provide better public services and meet the requirements of economic development.

Beauty and the feast of flavors send you into orbit

A friend who has been around Beijing's hospitality scene for some 10 years told me last week that the tradition of exchanging mooncakes to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival was in decline. This, she said, was due to the changing tastes and lifestyles of the modern Chinese, who would rather nip into the nearest Starbucks for a sweet pick-me-up than indulge in something as heavy as a mooncake, which is surprisingly weighty for its size and leaves a ring of grease on whatever surface it touches.

Qixi, the Chinese Valentine Day

Legend of Mid-Autumn Festival

There are many beautiful legends about the moon in China. The most popular one tells how a goddess named Chang'er ascended to the moon.     

Lunar legends

China's equivalent of the American Thanksgiving holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival could be this country's happiest holiday. Like Thanksgiving, it is a time when people reunite with their families, to be with loved ones and celebrate the year's harvest. In China, people come together and enjoy a feast of mooncakes.

Mid-Autumn Festival