Home of space dreams

By Zou Hong | China Daily | Updated: 2013-06-28 09:10

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The setting sun creates a mysterious hue over the skies at the satellite launch center, which is the main draw of the city of Jiuquan in Gansu province. Photos by Zou Hong / China Daily

The city in the Gobi desert enjoys a continental desert climate. Residents are seen enjoying the comfortable summer weather in the city square.

(From right) Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping, the first Chinese from the 1980s generation to orbit Earth, spent 15 days in space - two days more than last year's manned mission.

An elderly woman leads her twin granddaughters across the street. Many workers in the space center enlist parental help in taking care of their children.

Shenzhou X manned spacecraft blasted off on June 12 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, which is also home to scientists, soldiers and their families. Zou Hong unveils daily life at the center in Gansu province.

The "Cape Canaveral of China" - Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, also known as Dongfeng Space Center - is located amid the sand dunes of Badain Jaran Desert, 210 kilometers northeast of Jiuquan city, Gansu province.

Built in 1958, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is the earliest and largest satellite launch center in China. Since its establishment, it has achieved many firsts for the development of China's space industry, including the launch of China's very first satellite in 1970.

It is also the breeding ground and launching pad of many vital space projects, including Shenzhou X, a manned spacecraft that blasted off on June 12, bringing the nation one step closer to setting up its own space station in 2020.

While the city is the cradle for space dreams, people there live a simple life, with no bars or nightclubs. Most of the residents are scientists or members of the military and their families.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/28/2013 page4)