Years ago at a friend's party with my wife, Li Ying, I both amused and offended many people when I made the statement "Yes, but have you been to the moon?!" - this was my jingoistic response to my wife's expression of the typical Chinese worldview which holds that the Chinese had the first civilization, invented most of the key early technologies (wheel, paper, compass, writing, etc.) and in general have a longer history and a greater claim to civilization than anyone else. Of course, this kind of thing really hurts the ears of a citizen of the United States, who knows they are from the GREATEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. (I cringe to think I also made that statement to my Taiwanese roommate many more years ago.)
I still like to "razz" Chinese people who make claims to some kind of superiority (just as I like to do so to anyone, including Americans who put on airs.) Of course, I'm guilty of the same crimes too.
In the mean time, the scientists of Mainland China are busy working to invalidate my criticism.
China takes another leap toward manned spaceflight
March 25, 2002 Posted: 11:23 PM EST (0423 GMT)
(CNN) -- China launched the prototype of a manned space vessel into orbit Monday in a test flight designed to pave the way for the country's first human space flight, state media has reported.
12:39:24 PM 
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