Yang LiweiYang Liwei Chinese Pilot Yuhangyuan
Born 21 June 1965
First Chinese man in space
Astronaut Career Astronaut Group:
Active Number of Flights: 1
Total Time: 0
89 days
Yang Liwei was China's first citizen in space
His launch into orbit aboard Shenzhou-5 on 15 October 2003 marked the entry of China into an elite group, consisting only of Russia and the United States, who had the capability to launch human beings off the planet
Yang's name therefore was placed in history next to those of Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard
Yang was born in June 1965 in Suizhong County of northeast China's Liaoning Province
Friends in his hometown recalled that Yang had dreamed of flying when still a child
He joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in September 198