The frescoes of flying apsaras in the famous Dunhuang Grottoes are evidence of the Chinese nation's early fascination with celestial flight, but the success of the Shenzhou V mission last week is a down-to-earth indication that China's airy aspirations have taken tangible wing.

With the safe return of Yang Liwei in the country's first manned space flight, China became the third country to join the prestigious space club pioneered four decades ago by the former Soviet Union and the United States.

The successful flight of the Shenzhou V, or "Divine Ship V," stands not only as a testament to China's increasing technological and economic strength, but also gives a tremendous lift to the morale of the country, which has experienced quite a difficult time this year.

Shortly after the government reshuffle in early spring, a SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic hit the country, threatening local citizens' lives and scaring away foreign investors and tourists.

The effective control of the deadly illness did not bring the new administration much relief, with terrible flooding along the Huaihe River and foreign criticism of the nation's refusal to change the exchange rate of Chinese currency denying the country any kind of respite.

In addition to providing strong proof of China's technological capabilities and creating a plenitude of other possibilities, Shenzhou V has given an invaluable boost to the nation's pride.

In contrast to China's commitment to peaceful exploration of space, it is interesting to recall that the space programmes of the former Soviet Union and the United States were initiated largely for military purposes.

In April 1961, Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin's historic orbiting of the earth marked the beginning of manned space flights.

Shocked by the triumph of the Soviet space programme, the United States experimented with a sub-orbital flight in May 1969 and also sent a lunar module to the moon that same year.

If these activities were largely symbolic of the capability to explore and occupy space, the 1991 Gulf War was a showcase of real military use of space resources.

In the war, the US army used their sophisticated satellite system for field-monitoring, communication, reconnaissance, and analysis of information needed for decision-making.

The 1991 Gulf War and the protracted war in Iraq have displayed to the world the decisive role of space technology in modern military activities.

But the Chinese Government plays down the military implications of the Shenzhou V flight and emphasizes that the country's space programme will be used for peaceful purposes.

Chinese space authorities announced their goal of building a space station after Shenzhou V's debut flight, and have called for international co-operation in the peaceful exploration of outer space.

Anyway, the successful launch and return of the spacecraft will strengthen China's regional and global status, and create vast benefits in a range of areas.

In technological terms, the manned space programme will provide unprecedented opportunities for research in many areas, such as life science, materials science and environment monitoring.

The gravity-free, super-clean and vacuum environment makes the outer space an ideal place to carry out laboratory experiments, culture bio-chemical materials and process special industrial and pharmaceutical materials.

Space technologies will promote industrial development dramatically, when they are used for non-military purposes.

Maybe space technology is still too remote from the daily life of ordinary people, but it may help to remember that the Internet, which was invented for military use, has become a part of everyday life.

The business opportunities offered by space technology are also unimaginably vast.

The demand for rockets and satellite-launch services alone is tremendous. It is estimated that the scale of China's satellite-related industries will reach 100 billion yuan (US$12 billion) by 2005.

In fact, the unexpected transparency involved in Shenzhou V launch and return is part of China's plan to promote its space technology and services in the world market. This is quite similar to Russia's launch of a spacecraft not long ago to send a business tycoon into orbit, for a sky-rocketing sum.

In addition, space programmes can create a lot of jobs. For example, the United States' "Apollo Programme" in the 1960s not only sent men to the moon but also generated a lot of jobs as well as training opportunities.

China will also enjoy technological and economic progress with a large amount of jobs created by and professionals cultivated through its own space programme.

The success of Shenzhou V's maiden space flight brought messages of congratulations from many other countries, including Russia and the United States.

But one can sense a lingering ambivalence behind many of the words of congratulation.

It is to be noted that some officials in neighbouring Japan and India have expressed an ambition to develop their own space programmes to compete with China.

It is understandable that China's development of space technology might make some neighbouring countries feel pressure and spur them to develop their own space programmes.

It is also likely that the United States will also further its space missions to solidify its leading position in space technology.

China's involvement in a space race might be unavoidable, as there are already a number of countries working hard to advance their space technology to avoid falling behind.

However, as the country's late leader Deng Xiaoping said, China would not be respected as a major nation without its own nuclear and space programmes.

Although it is clear that China wants a peaceful world environment, it can only act as a beggar for, rather than an advocator and safeguard of world peace unless the country is technologically and economically strong.

The launch of its first satellite, the Dongfanghong, in 1970 ushered in China's space age. Now, the Shenzhou V has marked another giant stride in China's space trek.

Nothing, however, should be allowed to blind the Chinese to the fact that the country lags far behind advanced countries in terms of technological and economic strength. The country still has a long way to go to achieve the greatness that will ensure its rightful place in world society.

The author is a doctor of applied economics at Peking University.

(Business Weekly 10/21/2003 page1)