Hong Kong Celebrates Li Jiaying's Debut Space Mission
Becoming the Special Administrative Region’s first taikonaut, congratulations have come in from across the city for her.
Reaching the Tiangong Space Station for her first spaceflight on May 25th, Li Jiaying (黎家盈)1 has become a local hero back in her hometown of Hong Kong (香港), for being the city’s first spacefarer, with support and congratulatory messages starting to be sent not long after her confirmation to be part of Shenzhou-23 as the Payload Specialist.
The biggest supporters and celebraters of Li and her mission are her family, a husband, two daughters, and a son. In support, the four of them moved to Beijing (北京), and her husband slowed his professional advancement to take over responsibilities of caring for the three children while they settled into new schools. As thanks, Li is carrying photos of them and drawings by them to the station, where she will celebrate her forty-fourth birthday over 400 kilometers up this November.
Beyond her family, one of the first institutions in the city to congratulate the spacefarer was the University of Hong Kong (香港大学), which had a watch party for her launch, where she is an alumna, having completed her PhD there in 2011. In a press release about Li’s mission, the university wrote:
“Her achievement is a moment of immense pride for the entire [University of Hong Kong] community and the city, and a testament to the world-class calibre of our talent. Ka-ying’s2 journey from our labs to the stars embodies the perseverance and excellence of both the [University of Hong Kong] and Hong Kong spirit. … We hope Ka-ying’s mission inspires a new generation of Hong Kong scientists to reach for the stars and contribute to our nation’s glorious space odyssey.”
Other universities within the city were also quick to celebrate Li Jiaying, with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (香港理工大学) praising her mission as an example of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ framework3 for the Special Administrative Region, while the City University of Hong Kong (香港城市大学) lauded the Payload Specialist as a milestone for the city’s scientific research talent within the wider national space program, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (香港科技大学) said that she exemplifies China’s trust for the cities talent, in people and instruments, to work on the orbiting laboratory.
All four universities have supported important missions for China, contributing key hardware, instruments, and experiments. Most recently, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology sent a greenhouse gas monitoring instrument to Tiangong via Tianzhou-10. Previously, the City University of Hong Kong has supported the station’s research into biotechnology. This year, the University of Hong Kong will head to the lunar surface through its joint International Lunar Observatory Camera. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University developed Chang’e 5 and Chang’e 6’s lunar surface sampling arms.
In the days before launch, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (李家超), who has been expected taikonaut from the city to fly for almost a year, spoke with Li Jiaying on a video call to express support and to ask how mission preparations were going, to which she responded:
“My schedule is packed every day, it’s been really tough. But I feel like things are finally coming together, and I’m now confident I can complete this task. I have never been away from Hong Kong for this long before, so I’m hoping that once I finish this, I can get back to Hong Kong as soon as possible to experience everything the city has to offer.”
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The Chief Executive also took part in an official celebratory video from the government of the Special Administrative Region, shared the day before Shenzhou-23 launched, hitting the same notes as the universities.
Li Jiaying’s mission has also been celebrated by friends and former colleagues, praising her professional, academic, and personal character, labelling her as a suitable representative of Hong Kong in outer space too.
When she returns to Hong Kong near the end of the year, or sometime in 2027 (should she be chosen for the yearlong stay that Shenzhou-23 taikonauts are candidates for), Li will likely be greeted with celebrations worthy of a hero. Upon completing China’s first crewed spaceflight in 2003, Yang Liwei (杨利伟) of Shenzhou-5, had a significantly popular visit that inspired many locals, including the new local hero. Taikonauts of later missions have also visited the city, albeit with less celebrations surrounding them.
For now, Li Jiaying is focused on the Shenzhou-23 mission alongside her crewmates Zhu Yangzhu (朱杨柱)4 and Zhang Zhiyuan (张志远)5 for the next six months.
Mission Specialist for the mission, she is flying for the first time following selection as a fourth batch taikonaut in 2024. Born in November 1982, she is from the Hong Kong (香港) Special Administrative Region.
Prior to being selected, she was a Chief Inspector of the Hong Kong Police Force, reaching the rank of Superintendent, and holds a PhD in computational and information science-related subjects.
Interpreted from the Cantonese dialect, Li Jiaying’s name can also be written as Lai Ka-ying.
Hong Kong is one of China’s two Special Administrative Regions, the other being Macao, governed under the idea of One Country, Two Systems, originally intended to facilitate reunification with Taiwan Province. Under One Country, Two Systems, the regions continue to have their own governmental system, legal, economic, financial affairs, and trade relations with other countries.
Commander of the mission for his second spaceflight, having flown as part of the Shenzhou-16 mission, for 153 days from May 30th 2023 to October 31st 2023. Born in September 1986, he is from Peixian (沛县), in Jiangsu (江苏) province, and was selected as part of China’s third taikoanut group in 2020.
Before becoming a taikonaut, he worked as an Associate Professor of aerospace engineering within the People’s Liberation Army, where he achieved the rank of Colonel. Since December 2006, Zhu Yangzhu has been a member of the Communist Party of China. He has been awarded the title of ‘Heroic Astronaut’ too.
Spacecraft Pilot of the mission, he is in space for the first time after being selected as part of the third group in 2020. Born in June 1986, he is from Gansu (甘肃) province.
Before being selected as a taikoanut as part of the third group, he served in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force as a pilot, where he achieved the rank of Colonel. He has been a member of the Communist Party of China since 2011.