Formula One racing returns to China this weekend for the first time in five years, attracting fans across the nation to support Zhou Guanyu, the first Chinese driver in F1, at his home circuit.
The 2024 F1 Chinese Grand Prix, which began on Friday and will run until Sunday, is expected to draw 170,000 spectators.
The Shanghai International Circuit, known for hosting the first Chinese Grand Prix in 2004 and marking the 1,000th F1 race in 2019, features a 5.451 km track and can accommodate 200,000 people.
This year's race is especially significant as it marks Zhou's first Grand Prix appearance in his hometown of Shanghai.
During Saturday's sprint race, Zhou finished ninth, narrowly missing out on his season's first points.
Max Verstappen dominated the race, winning with a substantial lead over his closest competitors, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez.
Despite the high stakes and intense competition, Zhou's performance was commendable, especially considering the challenging conditions and his recent entry into the sport.
Zhou Guanyu makes historic home race debut at 2024 Chinese Grand Prix
China has opened a new chapter of lunar exploration with the successful launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft on Friday.
A Long March-5 rocket, carrying the Chang'e-6 spacecraft, blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on the coast of China's southern island province of Hainan at 17:27 (Beijing Time).
Approximately 37 minutes after liftoff, the Chang'e-6 spacecraft separated from the rocket and entered its planned Earth-moon transfer orbit, which had a perigee altitude of 200 kilometers and an apogee altitude of about 380,000 kilometers, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The launch of the Chang'e-6 spacecraft was a complete success, the CNSA announced.
The Chang'e-6 spacecraft, like its predecessor Chang'e-5, comprises an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner.
Regarded as one of the best open view sites, the beach at Qishui Bay in Longlou, a coastal town in Wenchang, attracted tens of thousands of people from all over the country to watch the launch.
"China is becoming more and more strong, and our technology is becoming more and more advanced," said one spectator.
"This is another exceptional, flawless launch, and I believe we have made a great start with a highly precise and accurate orbit insertion. We also wish the Chang'e-6 mission all the best," said Wang Jue, a technician at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
"The entire set of parameters for today's launch is excellent, laying a solid foundation for us. We will carry out trans-lunar injection, followed by lunar landing on the far side of the moon, sampling, takeoff from the far side of the moon, rendezvous and docking, and finally, the return from the moon to Earth," said Zhang Gao, another technician at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
China opens new chapter of lunar exploration with launch of Chang'e-6
