Hongkongers praise astronaut Lai Ka-ying at send-off ceremony in Jiuquan

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The historic send-off ceremony for Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying featured public praise and cheers in Jiuquan at Dongfeng Aerospace City. The astronauts were celebrated as a major encouragement to Hongkongers before heading to the launch site in the Gobi Desert.

Hongkongers gathered to witness the historic launch of the Shenzhou-23 mission hailed the city’s first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, as an “immense encouragement” as they watched the send-off ceremony for the crew in Jiuquan on Sunday night. Astronauts Lai, Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan were met with cheers at the Wentian Pavilion in China’s Dongfeng Aerospace City in Gansu province before they headed to the launch site in the Gobi Desert. Lai, a 43-year-old police superintendent and a mother of...