Chinese Astronauts Talk with African Youths: Forging Closer Relations

Chinese Astronauts Talk with African Youths: Forging Closer Relations

In 2022, a groundbreaking dialogue was held to forge closer ties between Chinese astronauts and African teenagers. China's Shenzhou-14 crew members Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe, for the first time, had a direct dialogue with African teenagers via video link to share their space experience with eager students.

Adi, an 18-year-old boy from Ethiopia was among the attending students from eight African countries. They were learning the Chinese language and had long been interested in space.

"Today we are going to attend a long awaited event. Hurry up, let's go!" Abdi was so excited on his way to the African Union headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa—the venue for this event.

Abdi had questions for the astronauts that were sent into orbit in June 2022 to help assemble China's space station.

"What is the difference between living in space and living on Earth? How do you eat, sleep, and take baths in a weightless environment?" Abdi asked.

"In the space station, we have separate sleeping areas, but weightlessness always gives us the feeling of standing while sleeping," astronaut Liu Yang responded. Liu Yang became China's first woman in space in 2012 during the Shenzhou-9 Mission and had returned for her second mission to Tiangong Space Station.

"We have been provided with over 100 kinds of space food. Look, here's delicious purple rice porridge," astronaut Cai Xuzhe told Abdi.

Students from Algeria, Egypt, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, and South Africa also watched the dialogue via video link to learn about space from the astronauts.

Abdi wishes for more events like this. He also hopes that in the future, he can be the one to share knowledge of space with children.

Video Credit: CCTV Video Agency

Duration: 1 minute, 40 seconds

Release Date: Sept. 3, 2024

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