Pilot aims to be first Chinese woman to circle globe

Not everybody gets to fulfill their dreams, but 31-year-old Chen Jingxian, a lawyer from a small town in Sichuan province, is well on the way to living hers - to be the first Chinese woman to fly around the world.

To make the dream sweeter, Chen is aiming to win a prize of 1 million yuan ($150,000) for a circumnavigation by a female Chinese pilot.

Following in the footsteps of famous pilots like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, Chen departed Cleveland, Ohio, in a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza on Aug 1. She stopped in New York, Boston, Canada, Greenland and Iceland, finally reaching Paris. There, she spoke to China Daily with her stuffed toy cat named Ebony, and her support crew, which is accompanying her on the plane.