Deep sea dives open to women

The first Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang, captured the country's imagination when she took a trip to space in June and the nation is set to welcome a first female oceanaut in 2013.

China plans to recruit four to six oceanauts next year, and possibly the first female Chinese deep-sea explorer will be among them, as the male-only requirement is being lifted from the selection process, said Liu Feng, commander of the Jiaolong's 7,000-meter dive project.

The requirements for female and male oceanauts are the same and concern physical endurance and psychological strength, said Liu.