Humanity's space aspirations advance with Chinese int'l cooperation: UN space director

Space sector cooperation with China and other experienced space-faring nations can help the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) empower other countries to achieve their astronomical goals, said UNOOSA director Aarti Holla-Maini on Wednesday.

UNOOSA has deepened cooperation with the China National Space Administration (CNSA) on a number of initiatives, including on the utilization of the China Space Station, where the crew of the Shenzhou-18 mission, comprising three Chinese astronauts, boarded safely Friday.

Prior to the mission launch, Holla-Maini attended an event on international collaboration in space exploration in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. In an interview on the sidelines of the event, she stressed that the agency's partnership with China has set an example for the international community.

"China has been a long-standing partner of UNOOSA, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, for many, many years. So, it was very important for me to come here. I am delighted that I can come here when we are celebrating all the Chinese achievements in space, but also Chinese collaboration with other countries," she said, speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN). 

Wednesday's event was held to mark China's Space Day, gathering government officials, aerospace experts, and representatives from more than 50 countries to discuss the future of humanity's space exploration. The ceremony saw the signing of important agreements, as the International Lunar Research Station welcomed a collaborating country and two organizations -- Nicaragua, the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, and the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Science. 

According to the agency director, partnerships like this represent an important step toward leveling the playing field so that more countries can meaningfully contribute to space research and exploration.

"China is a well-established space-faring nation, and it has been for many, many decades. We saw the presentation earlier from CNSA, first launch was in 1970. So, you know what you're doing, and you've been doing it for a very long time. In the United Nations and from all over the world, but also Latin America, we have countries who do not yet have satellites, who are not yet space-faring nations. So, it is by bringing the space-faring nations who have great experience and who have developed applications and services based on space technologies, by bringing them together that we can understand better, where are the needs, what are their needs, how can we empower other nations to make best use of space solutions in order to achieve their goals," she said. 

While China has made contributions to international space cooperation, particularly by sharing its experience in manned spaceflights, UNOOSA has also been pushing to make space-related resources more widely available. According to Holla-Maini, after opening the Center for Space Science and Technology Education in the Asia Pacific (CSSTEAP), the agency has set its sights on data-sharing initiatives.

"Our focus really is going to be on capacity building and space data going forward. There are too many developing countries in the world who are saying, 'We do not have access to this data. It's not available for us. It's too expensive for us, and even if we have it, we don't know how to use it.' So, there's a lot of work for us to do. It's too much work for a small office. But when we do it together with international partners like China, we can really make a difference," said the agency director. 

She also emphasized that UNOOSA fully supports China's lunar exploration program, including the construction of an international lunar research station.

"So, whether it's missions to outer space, whether it's astronauts to go, these are all envoys on behalf of humanity as a whole. At least that is what we believe in the United Nations. So, we welcome all of these different initiatives. We applaud them when they are in partnership with other countries. And, great minds are to be found in every country. In the most developed countries, in developing countries, there are brilliant minds everywhere. When we bring them together, then the sky is not the limit, even the moon is not the limit. We can do a lot," she said. 

In 2016, China designated April 24 as Space Day to commemorate the launch of its first satellite into space in 1970. Since then, China's Space Day has evolved into a platform for engaging with the global community and promoting international cooperation in the space sector. 

Humanity's space aspirations advance with Chinese int'l cooperation: UN space director

Actors from the new comedy "The Last Frenzy" shared the behind-the-scenes stories on China Central Television (CCTV), as the film has performed quite well at the box office and earned great viewership from the audience.

As of Monday, the sixth day of the film's release, the total box office revenue from the film had surpassed 400 million yuan (about 55.48 million U.S. dollars), ranking the first among all the films screened around the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5.

The film tells the story of a middle-aged man named Jia Youwei, played by veteran comedian Jia Bing, grappling with life-altering decisions when he is confronted with an incurable illness and a mere 10 days left to live. Choosing to spend his million yuan property proceeds on unforgettable experiences with friends, Jia embarks on a poignant journey of camaraderie and self-discovery.

In the CCTV interview, Jia Bing analyzed into the character he played.

"Jia Youwei is a little bit stingy because of the family he was born into. He is reluctant to spend money because after his parents died, he didn't have any other people to rely on. He saves money as a way of guarantee for himself. He is portrayed as a careless person in the film, but actually he has a delicate mind. As the movie unfolds, you'll find Jia Youwei is actually quite generous, especially to his friends. He is willing to give up everything he has in order to help his friends realize their dreams," Jia said.

Dong Baoshi, a rap singer-turned actor, played one of Jia Youwei's friends in the film. He said many of the scenes were improvised.

"Many of the scenes in the film were improvised. I didn't know much about acting before working with Jia Bing and Xiao Shenyang (another actor). They have a lot of inspiration and many of the lines in the film were improvised by them. I often laughed out on the set because there were many interesting lines that they came up with in a way like freestyle," Dong said.

Jia agreed with Dong and said director Urna is very fond of the improvised scenes.

"We are the same both in and outside the film. What we look like in the film is the same with that in our daily life. There is no difference. Director Urna says she hopes we can be ourselves and that she loves the 'freestyle' scenes in which we play roles," Jia said.

As a rookie actor, Dong said he has learned a lot from Jia and other actors in the film.

"Jia offered me much advice on playing a comedy, such as the rhythm of saying the lines. He also helped me adjust my performance, which I think is a wonderful process. I was a little bit shy at first. But with his encouragement, I began participating in the creation process with other actors in a very relaxed mood," Dong said.

Jia has so far played roles in more than 50 films and TV series, mostly comedies. Unlike other actors who pursue an all-around and versatile development, Jia said he wants to stick to the comedy business.

He also performed in many comic sketches before and once performed on China Media Group's Spring Festival Gala, a TV show enjoyed by almost every household in China on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

"I once made a promise to myself that I would devote my whole lifetime to comedy. Since comic sketches have gradually lost attraction to young people and I couldn't come up with good punch lines any more, I decide to spend more time on films and think carefully about each character I will play, so as to bring laughter to the audience. I think I haven't reneged on my promise," Jia said.

Comedy film actors share behind-the-scenes stories