Chinese taikonauts engage with Bulgarian youth in space dialogue
新闻台署名 来源：新华社、《黎明报》、《阿拉伯新闻》、阿纳多卢通讯社与《分钟镜报》。由 GSRRA 编辑部翻译并节选。
A Bulgarian girl raises her hand to ask questions during the “Talking with Taikonauts” event in Sofia, Bulgaria, Nov. 30, 2024. Three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, connected with Bulgarian youth via video link on Saturday, sharing their experiences in space exploration and answering questions about life aboard the Tiangong space station. (Photo by Marian Draganov/Xinhua)
SOFIA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, connected with Bulgarian youth via video link on Saturday, sharing their experiences in space exploration and answering questions about life aboard the Tiangong space station.
Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze, members of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceflight mission, fielded 15 questions from Bulgarian participants aged 8-22 during the event “Talking with Taikonauts.” Topics ranged from comfort in spacecraft and spacesuits to daily activities like eating, using gadgets, and working on the space station.
The event marked several milestones, including the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Bulgaria, the 155th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), and the 45th anniversary of Bulgaria’s first astronaut Georgi Ivanov’s mission. It featured space science lectures, a quiz, and an exhibition showcasing a mock-up of the Tiangong space station.
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, in a letter to the event, emphasized the opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two countries in areas such as cultural exchange, space exploration, and high technology. He highlighted the potential for innovative partnerships to accelerate technological progress and provide opportunities for young people.
Chinese Ambassador to Bulgaria Dai Qingli noted that China’s rapidly advancing space industry is fostering international collaboration, with over 150 intergovernmental space cooperation agreements signed with more than 50 countries and organizations as of November 2023.
Bulgaria’s Deputy Minister of Education and Science Nikolay Vitanov described astronauts as symbols of the human spirit and the pursuit of knowledge, which transcends borders and unites humanity.
Members of the Bulgarian Parliament, Atanas Atanasov and Gabriel Valkov, praised the event as a meaningful platform for scientific exchange and strengthening bilateral relations.
“Such events should happen more often, so we can understand more about China, and also about Bulgaria,” Valkov said. ■
Cai Xuzhe (C, on screen), Song Lingdong (R, on screen), and Wang Haoze (L, on screen), members of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceflight mission, speak via video link during the “Talking with Taikonauts” event in Sofia, Bulgaria, Nov. 30, 2024. Three Chinese astronauts, or taikonauts, connected with Bulgarian youth via video link on Saturday, sharing their experiences in space exploration and answering questions about life aboard the Tiangong space station. (Photo by Marian Draganov/Xinhua)
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20241201/bc83608350fc494781c1cd4468f3ce78/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
