Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Chinese astronaut Wang Haoze, one of the crew members of the Shenzhou-19 mission, came out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-19 spaceship.

Wang was the third of the Shenzhou-19 crew to get out of the capsule after it touched down safely at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region earlier on Wednesday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

She is also China's first female spaceflight engineer.

"It's good to be home, to be down to earth. I'm right on the land of the motherland now, and the words I most want to say are 'Motherland, your children have returned from a long journey.' The journey of 180-plus days in space is a test to the body and a practice of the mind. The mission empowers me to report to the motherland and the people that I'm confident and competent to undertake more challenging tasks. Please rest assured. Every time I gazed into the cosmos from the space station, I'm deeply convinced that we, the Chinese astronauts, will venture farther and farther, reaching into the vastness of space. Finally, I extend my best wishes for the continued advancement of China's space cause, and may our great motherland enjoy prosperity and our people live in harmony and peace, " Wang said.

The Shenzhou-19 crew was sent into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct 30, 2024. Prior to the return, the crew handed over the space station to the Shenzhou-20 astronauts who got on board on Friday.

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Shenzhou-19 astronaut Wang Haoze comes out of return capsule

Li Li, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) from southwest China's Guizhou Province, has made it her mission to preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of the Buyi people, particularly their traditional clothing.

Born and raised in a village of Qinglong County, Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Li began learning the intricate handicrafts of the Buyi people from her mother at a young age.

After spending over a decade working away from home, she felt a strong calling to return and safeguard her cultural roots. In 2015, she returned to her roots to start a business with the vision to revitalize Buyi clothing.

"Starting my own business was really tough in the beginning. If you want to make a Western-style suit, you could just buy some fabric and copy an existing design. But ethnic clothing is different. It requires constant innovation, and that takes a huge amount of time. Traditional fabrics tend to fade, and I spent months just trying to figure out how to fix the color. This problem had kept me up for a long time. But eventually, I tackled the challenges one by one," Li said.

Her persistence has paid off. This year, Li's team tapped into the cultural symbolism of the Year of the Horse, creating a range of horse-themed products that have quickly gained popularity.

"This year is the Year of the Horse, so we created a lot of horse-themed items. They are very popular and orders have been pouring in. Every year, we design our cultural products and clothing based on what the market wants. We started with a 300-square-meter workshop, and now we have our own intangible cultural heritage center. Over the years, we've trained more than a thousand embroiderers," she said.

As a grassroots NPC deputy, Li prioritizes listening to the voices of ordinary people. During work sessions with embroiderers, she takes time to listen to their concerns and offers flexible schedules for those with special needs.

The preservation of ethnic clothing and culture has always been at the heart of her work.

"During this year's 'two sessions', I will continue to focus on the preservation of ethnic clothing and culture. I want to encourage more young people to get involved in cultural inheritance. For example, I've been going to schools to teach students because I hope that intangible cultural heritage can take root in children's hearts from an early age. I want them to grow up knowing how remarkable our ethnic culture is and to develop a strong sense of cultural pride," Li said.

The "two sessions" refer to the annual meetings of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Conference, China's top political advisory body,which usually convene in early March.

NPC deputy from Guizhou revitalizes Buyi culture through inheritance and innovation