"...5, 4, 3, 2, 1  Ignite! Go!" On October 15, 2003, China launched its first manned spacecraft into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Northwest China's Gansu Province.

               Spraying a mass of orange flames, the large, white Long March II-F rocket carrying the Shenzhou-V spacecraft and China's first astronaut Yang Liwei soared spectacularly skyward, gradually becoming a bright ball betore vanishing into deep space.

               As the world's largest developing country, China is more than proud of making its own contribution to human beings' outer space exploration. Meantime, it will turn out to be an important driving force for the country's economic and social development.The successful launch of Shenzhou-V ushered in a new chapter in space history.