Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2004

Citation Mr . Yang L iwei M r. Yang L i wei is the first Chinese astronaut to have travelled i n outer space. H i s em i nent success, w h i c h has d r awn attention around the wo r l d, has its o r i g in i n a small t o wn i n the northeast of China, i n the family of a ha r dwo r k i ng and modest school teacher. I n 1965, Yang L i wei was born i n Suizhong County i n Liaoning province, the second child of the family. F r om a t ender age he l ea r nt f r om h is p a r e n ts a p r a c t i c al a nd i n d u s t r i o us approach to life, and this down-to-earth spirit has p r o v i ded h i m w i t h the primum mobile for his celestial career. H a v i ng f i n i s hed school i n his h ome t o wn i n 1983, Yang L i w e i was adm i t t ed to the Numb er Eight Av i a t i on College of the People's Liberation A r m y A i r Force. He g r adua t ed w i t h excellent grades i n 1987, and became a p i l ot i n the air force, fulfilling a long cherished dream. He flew various types of fighter aircraft and rose to s q u a d r on leader. W i t h 1,350 f l i g h t hours, he had achieved a h i gh technical competence; he was ranked a pilot of the first class and was t w i ce awa r ded class three commendation i n 1992 and 1994. I n 1996, as t h e n a t i o n ' s s p a ce p r og r amme gathered mome n t um, China l ooked to its armed forces for astronaut candidates. A f t e r a series of the mo st s t r i n g e nt assessments a nd p h y s i c al e x a m i n a t i o n s, 1 3 c a n d i d a t es w e r e selected i n January 1998, amo ng t h em Yang Liwei. This first cohort of astronauts were enrolled at the As t r onaut T r a i n i ng Base i n Beijing. Th ey w e n t t h r o u gh a t r a i n i n g r e g i m en of u n p r e c e d e n t ed r i g o u r, f i r ed b y the desire to r o am the heavens, a dream that has tantalized the Chinese m i n d for millennia. T r a i n i ng i n astronautics is distinctly d i f f e r ent f r om t r a i n i ng i n aeronautics. Even a veteran p i l ot such as Yang had to start again f r om the very basics. I n five years of the utmost ha rd wo r k, he began w i t h basic theories, f o l l owed by technical and p r ac t i cal t r a i n i ng. The theoretical training over 30 disciplines and over 100 courses covered an extensive range of subjects: aviation dynamics, air dynamics, geophysics, space physics, jet propulsion, space n a v i g a t i o n, as w e l l as f l i g h t mo n i t o r i ng and control. A severe regime Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2004 26