Hong Kong fetes space heroes
(China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-28 05:34

HONG KONG: A day after they were declared heroes in Beijing, the special administrative region (SAR) yesterday gave Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng a rousing welcome as they arrived for a 3-day visit.

The two astronauts who successfully piloted last month's Shenzhou VI space mission came to Hong Kong at the invitation of Chief Executive Donald Tsang.

The space heroes attended a variety show at the Hong Kong Stadium where they were welcomed by Tsang and some 40,000 people.

Tsang said the delegation's visit has enhanced Hongkongers' sense of pride in being Chinese.

Speaking at the show, delegation leader Hu Shixiang told Hongkongers that they could compete to become national astronauts and scientists here could also join in space projects.

The day's activities for the delegation ended with a welcome banquet at Government House hosted by the Chief Executive.

This morning, they will be at Chinese University of Hong Kong to talk about the space mission; and the afternoon will see them at Hong Kong Disneyland. In the evening, they are expected to visit Santa's Town at Statue Square.

The delegation will leave Hong Kong for Macao on Wednesday.

On Saturday, the two astronauts were awarded the title of "Hero Astronaut" and the medal of "Space Flight Achievement" by President Hu Jintao in Beijing.

Last month's triumphant Shenzhou VI mission is another important contribution by the Chinese people to the peaceful use of outer space, the president told a gathering of 3,000 at the Great Hall of the People.

"The fact that China had realized the great jump from one-person-one-day space flight to multi-person-multi-day space mission within two years has marked a new landmark victory in China's manned space technology," Hu said.

(China Daily 11/28/2005 page1)