Home>News Center>China
       
 

Chinese benefit from space technology
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-10-09 07:30

"What a sweet, juicy and tasty fruit it is!" says Li Xiaoliang, a Beijing resident, while enjoying a kind of grape known as "Space Grape" with its seeds bred with space technology.

Grape is one of some 800 kinds of earth plants that have had their seed strains experimented with in the space by Chinese scientists in the past 18 years since 1987, according to official figures.

In present China, many commoners like Li have benefited from space technology as it has become one of the few nations able to shot their own rocket carriers and send satellites and space vehicles into the orbit.

"With telecommunications satellites in orbit, more than 100 kinds of modern businesses including cell phone and remote medical service are now available, which have largely altered the way of our life," says Gu Yidong, designer-in-chief of the application system of China's manned space program.

Since China launched its first pilot telecom-satellite in 1984,satellite-based TV and radio programs have covered over 90 percent of the Chinese population.

With the help of telecom-satellites, the Earth has become a village where people can learn about international news and watch an Olympic Game simultaneously, share information about natural calamities and climatic conditions worldwide, and inspect natural resources.

"The outer space is called 'the Fourth Territory' for the Humankind," acknowledged Gu, who also said he believes that space technology could bring human beings a better life in the future.

With the increasingly wide use of space technology, scientists can develop a lot of new things nonexistent before, according to Hu Wenrui, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the International Space Academy.

"Every time a new structure of protein is analyzed, a new type of pharmaceutical product comes into being," says Hu, adding spacetechnology can also help cut the cost of industrial production.

China plans to send its second manned spacecraft later this month, ushering in a new wave of space craze among the Chinese people.



Fire kills 5 in Northeast China
Aerobatics show in Hunan
Final rehearsal
  Today's Top News     Top China News
 

Australia, US, Japan praise China for Asia engagement

 

   
 

Banker: China doing its best on flexible yuan

 

   
 

Hopes high for oil pipeline deal

 

   
 

Possibilities of bird flu outbreaks reduced

 

   
 

Milosevic buried after emotional farewell

 

   
 

China considers trade contracts in India

 

   
  EU likely to impose tax on imports of Chinese shoes
   
  Bankers confident about future growth
   
  Curtain to be raised on Year of Russia
   
  Coal output set to reach record high of 2.5b tons
   
  WTO: China should reconsider currency plan
   
  China: Military buildup 'transparent'
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement