China's Tiangong space station has upgraded its in-orbit kitchen, featuring advanced heating equipment and diversified meal options, Lai Ka-ying, a payload specialist for the Shenzhou-23 spaceflight mission, revealed during a science class for Hong Kong and Macao students on Wednesday.
Hundreds of students from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) gathered at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College in the HKSAR for the special "Tiangong Class".
During the space lecture, Lai delivered a dedicated introduction to the students covering the crew's daily orbital meals and upgraded food-heating tools aboard the space station.
"Ground technical personnel have prepared a diverse, nutritionally balanced diet for us. The menu includes staple foods such as rice, noodles and bread, as well as dozens of specialty dishes ranging from Braised Pork in Brown Sauce and 'Fotiaoqiang' (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall) to Kung Pao Chicken and Black Pepper Beef. We also have a variety of dehydrated vegetables that turn fresh and tasty once rehydrated. In addition, we can also make cheese in the space station, so our orbital food selection is extremely varied," she said.
Lai also explained the heating facilities, which enable astronauts to enjoy freshly heated meals in the microgravity environment.
"The space station is equipped with two heating devices. The lower microwave heating device works on the same principle as household microwaves and is mainly used for heating staple foods like rice. The upper hot-air heating device adopts 360-degree circulating hot air technology, allowing astronauts to have hot meals in less than half an hour. A newly added hot-air baking machine marks the biggest highlight of the upgraded space kitchen. The space station is now equipped with a hot-air baking machine. It has solved the challenge of oil fume purification in confined spaces and can raise the maximum heating temperature to 190 degrees Celsius. This allows us to bake chicken wings, pumpkins and cakes right in the space station," she explained.
Chinese astronaut shows upgraded space kitchen, diversified meal options
Norwegian Ambassador to China Vebjorn Dysvik said Wednesday that the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) offers a strong platform for developing new partnerships, as a record number of Norwegian companies attend.
Running through Sept. 13 at Shougang Park, a former industrial site and a venue for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the fair has drawn participants from 90 countries, regions and international organizations, with over 1,800 companies exhibiting on-site. Among them are 473 Fortune Global 500 firms and other industry leaders, including Honeywell, Johnson and Johnson, and Siemens.
During the fair, more than 190 forums, conferences, and business negotiation and promotion events will be held, along with 74 supporting activities and 11 business tour itineraries.
Norway is this year's guest country of honor at CIFTIS, and its exhibition area showcases Norway's distinctive industries and innovative achievements.
"It's a great opportunity and we can see this from the number of Norwegian companies that show up. And we have a record number of companies this year because our companies see that this is a good platform to develop all partnerships, but also to create new partnerships," said Vebjorn Dysvik, Norwegian Ambassador to China.
This year, for the first time, the fair has established an exhibition area for Chinese services in the core exhibition zone, showcasing innovative achievements and exemplary cases in the field of trade in services.
In addition, special zones were set up for the first time in several thematic exhibitions to provide professional support for Chinese enterprises looking to expand into international markets.
"The exhibition area for overseas service providers features 28 companies offering services overseas. It covers a wide range of topics, including accounting and auditing, human resources, intellectual property, consulting services, financial services, and digital marketing software services. In addition, we have invited 41 firms to participate in the overseas service recommendation roadshow, providing attendees with a one-stop solution for overseas expansion," said Zhao Fangqi, staff member at the fair.
This year's event also highlights the application of cutting-edge technologies in the service trade sector, while the sports and cultural tourism service exhibition areas feature numerous innovative interactive experiences.
Some exhibitors expressed their hope to meet the new service demands driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) era through more innovative approaches.
Norwegian ambassador hails CIFTIS as partnership platform
