Editing Yang Liwei (section)

==Spaceflight career==
Yang was selected as a taikonaut candidate in 1998 and has trained for space flight since then.<ref name=st-yang /> He was chosen from the final pool of 14 candidates to fly on China's first [[crewed spaceflight|crewed space mission]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2016-05-14|title=Shenzhou 5|url=https://chinaspacereport.wordpress.com/spaceflight/shenzhou5/|access-date=2021-04-26|website=China Space Report|language=en}}</ref> A former fighter pilot in the Aviation Military Unit of the PLA, he held the rank of [[Lieutenant Colonel]] at the time of his mission.<ref name=st-yang /> He was promoted to full [[Colonel]] on 20 October 2003.<ref name="xinhua-19oct">{{cite news|last=Jiang|first=Guocheng|title=China's first astronaut promoted.|url=http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=XNEWS00020031020dzaj000mk&pp=1&fcpil=en&napc=S&sa_from=|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=Xinhua News Agency|date=19 October 2003}} {{closed_access}}</ref> According to the ''[[Youth Daily]]'', the decision had been made in advance of his spaceflight without Yang being made aware of it.<ref name="xinhua-19oct" />

The launch window of [[Shenzhou 5]], was chosen to be 15 October 2003 because it would coincide with the conclusion of a Communist Party conference in Beijing and a day before [[Hu Jintao|President Hu Jintao]]'s visit to Thailand for the [[Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation|Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)]] [[APEC Thailand 2003|summit]].<ref name=":1" /> [[Hu Jintao|President Hu]] was present at the launch site to supervise the launch of [[Shenzhou 5]].<ref name=":1" /> The launch was not broadcast on live television to prevent negative publicity in the event of a disaster. 

He was launched into space aboard his [[Shenzhou 5]] spacecraft atop a [[Long March 2F]] rocket from [[Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center]] in the [[Gobi Desert]] at 09:00 [[Chinese Standard Time|CST]] (01:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]) on 15 October 2003.<ref name="pdaily-15oct">{{cite news|title=President Hu hails successful launch of Shenzhou V|url=http://english.people.com.cn/200310/15/eng20031015_126054.shtml|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=[[People's Daily]]|date=15 October 2003}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Prior to his launch almost nothing was made public about the Chinese taikonaut candidates; his selection for the Shenzhou 5 launch was only leaked to the media one day before the launch.<ref name="chinadaily-jan24" /> The other two potential candidates for the space mission were [[Nie Haisheng]] and [[Zhai Zhigang]] who were also on standby as backup crews on the day of the launch.<ref name=":1" />

Yang Liwei reported the occurrence of abnormal vibrations two minutes after launch which he described as "very uncomfortable". The vibrations were later discovered to have come from the launcher rocket.<ref name=":1" /> As a consequence, corrective measures were swiftly taken to the design of the following [[Long March 2F|CZ-2F]] carrier rocket for the [[Shenzhou-6]].<ref name="CZ-2F">{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinanews.com.cn/gn/news/2008/07-19/1317666.shtml|title="神七"运载火箭完成总装和出厂测试 今将出征|publisher= 中国新闻网|date=2008-07-19|access-date=2008-07-19}}</ref> 

Yang punctuated his journey with regular updates on his condition; variations of "I feel good", the last coming as the capsule floated to the ground after re-entry.<ref name="xinhua-15oct">{{cite news|date=15 October 2003|title=Chinese astronaut calls family from space (details added).|newspaper=Xinhua News Agency|url=http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=XNEWS00020031015dzaf0015w&pp=1&fcpil=en&napc=S&sa_from=|access-date=14 December 2013}} {{closed_access}}</ref><ref name="reuters-16oct">{{cite news|last=Rhoads|first=Brian|title=China's first manned space flight ends in success.|url=http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=LBA0000020031015dzaf003z1&pp=1&fcpil=en&napc=S&sa_from=|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=Reuters|date=16 October 2003}} {{closed_access}}</ref> He spoke to his wife as the Shenzhou 5 started its eighth orbit around the Earth, assuring her from space: "I feel very good, don't worry".<ref name="xinhua-15oct" /><ref name="reuters-16oct" /> He ate specially designed packets of shredded pork with garlic, [[Kung Pao chicken]] and [[eight treasure]] rice, along with Chinese herbal [[tea]].<ref name="xinhua-19oct" /> During the flight, Yang slept two times in 3-hour intervals.<ref name=":1" /> In the middle of the journey, state television broadcast footage of Yang waving a small flag of the People's Republic of China and that of the [[United Nations]] inside his capsule.<ref name="xinhua-19oct" /><ref name="reuters-16oct" />

State media said Yang's capsule was supplied with a gun, a knife and tent in case he landed in the wrong place.<ref name="reuters-16oct" />

Yang's craft landed in the grasslands of the Chinese region of [[Inner Mongolia]] at around 06:30 CST on 16 October 2003 (22:00 UTC), having completed 14 [[orbit]]s and travelled more than [[1 E8 m|600,000&nbsp;km]].<ref name="reuters-16oct" /> Yang was in space for a total of 21 hours,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Yang Liwei {{!}} Biography & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Yang-Liwei|access-date=2021-04-25|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> Yang left the capsule about 15 minutes after landing, and was congratulated by [[Premier of the People's Republic of China|Premier]] [[Wen Jiabao]].<ref name="reuters-16oct" /> But the astronaut's bleeding lips seen in the official images broadcast sparked rumors of a hard landing confirmed by accounts of personnel present at the landing site.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sc.xinhuanet.com/content/2007-09/29/xinsrc_04309042916001501715764.jpg|title=杨利伟："职业航天员是我的事业和人生追求"|publisher=新华网|date=September 29, 2007|access-date=June 8, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625042928/http://www.sc.xinhuanet.com/content/2007-09/29/xinsrc_04309042916001501715764.jpg|archive-date=June 25, 2008}}</ref>

Although the first Chinese citizen in space, Yang Liwei is not the first person of Chinese origin in space. [[Shanghai]]-born [[Taylor Wang]] flew on [[Space Shuttle]] mission [[STS-51-B]] in 1985.<ref name="afp-17oct">{{cite news|title=China looks to moon - Chinese shuttle astronaut.|url=http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=AFPR000020031017dzah0015u&pp=1&fcpil=en&napc=S&sa_from=|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=AFP|date=17 October 2003}} {{closed_access}}</ref> Wang, however, had become a United States citizen in 1975.<ref name="afp-17oct" /> Taylor Wang was not the first person born in China to go to orbit. [[William Anders]] was born in Hong Kong on 17 October 1933.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Shelby|first=Julie|title=Maj. Gen. Bill Anders|url=https://heritageflight.org/about/maj-gen-bill-anders/|access-date=2021-04-25|website=Heritage Flight Museum|language=en-US}}</ref> Anders would be a part of the [[Apollo 8]] lunar orbital mission in 1968.<ref name=":0" />

Yang visited Hong Kong on 31 October 2003, holding talks and sharing his experiences during a six-day stay in the territory.<ref name="SMCP-visit">{{cite news|last=Burning|first=Harald|title=Macau flag-wavers give astronaut a warm welcome.|url=http://global.factiva.com/aa/?ref=SCMP000020031105dzb60001g&pp=1&fcpil=en&napc=S&sa_from=|access-date=14 December 2013|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=6 November 2003}} {{closed_access}}</ref> The visit coincided with an exhibition that featured his reentry capsule, spacesuit and leftover food from his 21-hour mission. On 5 November he travelled to [[Macau]].<ref name="SMCP-visit" />

On 7 November, Yang received the title of "Space Hero" from [[Jiang Zemin]], the Chairman of the PRC [[Central Military Commission (China)|Central Military Commission]] (CMC).<ref name="chinadaily-jan24" /> He also received a badge of honour during a ceremony at the [[Great Hall of the People]]. Russia awarded him the [[Gagarin medal]].<ref>China Daily. http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/20/content_470775.htm</ref> The [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]] has given Yang an honorary doctorate.<ref name="chinadaily-jan24" />

The [[asteroid]] [[21064 Yangliwei]] and the [[Fossil Birds|fossil bird]] ''[[Dalingheornis|Dalingheornis liweii]]'' are named after him.<ref name="chinadaily-jan24" /><ref name="sinica">Zhang, Z., Hou, L., Hasegawa, Y., O'Connor, J., Martin, L.D. and Chiappe, L.M. (2006). "The first Mesozoic heterodactyl bird from China." ''Acta Geologica Sinica'', '''80'''(5): 631-635.</ref>