Astronauts chat with students in Hong Kong

Chinese astronauts on board the Tiangong space station have a real-time video dialogue with Hong Kong science workers, teachers and students on Friday. (Lyu Xiaowei/Xinhua)

Astronauts on board China's Tiangong space station took part in a video call on Friday afternoon with students in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

During the live call, which lasted about 20 minutes, the three crew members of the Shenzhou XII mission－Major General Nie Haisheng, who is also the mission's commander, Major General Liu Boming and Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo－greeted participants in Hong Kong and then answered questions from the students about how they conduct experiments, do physical exercise and drink water. They also showed the students different parts of the colossal spacecraft and demonstrated the functions of some equipment.

The event was co-hosted by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong SAR Government and the China Manned Space Agency.

Before the call, participants watched a video about the country's space station program and the Shenzhou XII mission, and listened to a speech by Zhou Jianping, chief designer of China's manned space program, about the latest developments in the space station program.

Zhou and several space officials including Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut and now a senior planner, took part in the event at the China Academy of Space Technology in Beijing via a video link. They also answered questions from Hong Kong residents before the dialogue.

At the event's main venue in Hong Kong, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, told attendees she hoped young people in Hong Kong could be inspired by the motherland's achievements in space exploration, cherish their dreams, learn from the astronauts and brave difficulties in the pursuit of science.

Hao Chun, director of the China Manned Space Agency, said in Beijing the occasion was intended to respond to Hong Kong people's questions concerning the motherland's space endeavors, foster cooperation and communication between the mainland and Hong Kong, encourage and enable Hong Kong youngsters to know about space exploration, and inspire their patriotism and pursuit of adventure and innovation.