LI JIAYING, or Lai Ka-ying in Cantonese, made history as the first astronaut from China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to travel to space, as a payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission.

Li, who holds a Ph.D. in computer forensics and previously served in the Hong Kong Police Force, joined mission commander Zhu Yangzhu and spacecraft pilot Zhang Zhiyuan for the flight last night.

Li will be mainly responsible for operating space science experiment equipment aboard the Tiangong space station, Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson of the China Manned Space Agency, said at a press conference Saturday.

Honor and pride

During her public debut as an astronaut Saturday, Li expressed her gratitude to the country for providing her with a platform to realize her dreams and to the HKSAR government and its residents for their unwavering support.

“Right now, my heart is filled with gratitude and a deep sense of honor. I also feel the great responsibility that comes with this mission,” she said, “I will give my absolute best to complete all tasks.”

“I will not let the people of Hong Kong down, and even more so, I will not fail the trust placed in me by the motherland,” she added, vowing to serve as a bridge for the space endeavors of Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland.

Li, born in November 1982 in Hong Kong, passed the flight qualification assessment with outstanding results. “She is currently in good overall condition and demonstrates strong crew coordination,” said Zhang.

“We’re happy to see Hong Kong’s scientific community increasingly integrated into the national space program in recent years,” Zhang noted.

“Under the framework of ‘one country, two systems,’ Hong Kong is expected to leverage its international advantages to further gather and cultivate high-end scientific and technological talents, contributing to the advancement of the country’s manned space program,” he added.

Li followed in the footsteps of female astronauts Liu Yang, Wang Yaping and Wang Haoze, becoming China’s fourth female astronaut to reach space.

Journey to space

Li’s dream of space began in 2003, when Yang Liwei became China’s first astronaut to travel into space. It was from this news that Li began to follow the country’s manned space program.

“Yang once mentioned a conversation he had with an overseas Chinese, who said, ‘The higher you fly, the higher we overseas Chinese can hold our heads up.’ That sentence really moved me,” Li recalled.

In 2022, China’s manned space program opened astronaut selection to Hong Kong and Macao. The once‑distant dream of space no longer seemed out of reach. “From the very beginning, I felt this was a rare opportunity,” she said.

She applied to become a candidate for China’s fourth batch of reserve astronauts. In 2023, she went to Beijing and underwent three selection rounds, during which she was evaluated on multiple aspects, including health, technical skills and psychological fitness. Finally, she stood out from around 120 candidates from Hong Kong and officially joined China’s astronaut team in August 2024.

Described by the mission commander as “a resilient and meticulous team player,” Li completed her transition from police officer to astronaut in roughly two years.

Li has completed over 200 training tasks across eight major categories, accumulating more than 1,700 training hours since she joined China’s astronaut team in August 2024, according to Zhang.

The training covers space science research and technology experiments, space station combination management, and operations of manned spacecraft and robotic arms. Li met all flight mission requirements, he said.

“The training along the way has been truly challenging and at times extremely hard. Standing here today, I owe it to the thorough instruction of my astronaut teachers, the selfless dedication of everyone in the space program, and the unconditional support of my family,” said Li, a mother of three children.

Li also encouraged young people of Hong Kong to pursue their dreams boldly.

“Dreams are not far away, and they do not depend on where you come from. As long as we keep our country and our home in our hearts, love life, stay true to ourselves and persevere, and work together to contribute our wisdom and strength to Hong Kong and to our motherland, each one of us can shine in our own way,” she said.(Xinhua)