China's first independently-developed civil manned airship, the AS700 "Xiangyun," was officially delivered to the customer on Saturday, according to the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
Developed by the AVIC Special Vehicle Research Institute, the AS700 is a type of single-capsule manned airship, which has a maximum carrying capacity of 10 people, including a pilot. It has a maximum flight range of 700 km, a maximum altitude of 3,100 meters and a maximum endurance of 10 hours, according to the AVIC.
Before the delivery, the airship completed its trans-provincial ferry flight over around 1,000 km, and conducted 15 days of experience flights for 306 passenger trips, which verified its safety and reliability.
Along with the delivery, a contract to purchase up to 12 more airships was signed.
The civil manned airship has vast prospects amid the country's booming low-altitude economy. The AS700 airship is capable of diversified applications, such as aerial tours, emergency rescue, urban security and aerial geophysical surveys, the AVIC said.
The airship will begin commercial operation soon.
China's first AS700 manned airship delivered to customer for commercial operation
China's first AS700 manned airship delivered to customer for commercial operation
China's first AS700 manned airship delivered to customer for commercial operation
A young Northern Irish student has shared the stories of her deep connection to Chinese culture during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, which landed on Tuesday, highlighting the global reach of the many celebrated Chinese traditions.
In the heart of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Kiva, a second-year economics student at Ulster University, had been busy preparing various activities to celebrate the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival.
One of her top priorities was heading out shopping to buy some mooncakes, which are seen as the most representative specialty food of the festival which centers around family reunions and appreciating the full moon.
"So these are our eight delicious-looking mooncakes. They are beautiful. They're very tiny, keeping you fit," said Kiva, as she proudly showed off the box of her newly-purchased mooncakes.
After wandering around a local Chinese supermarket, she excitedly recounted her journey of learning Chinese and her fascination with the country's rich traditions.
"The most intriguing part for me was the calligraphy. It was definitely the characters. I really, really did love the characters. It was just very, very interesting to see, and to see that and see it made into an art form as well, where calligraphy is used as like a cultural aspect. It was just very, very beautiful and I wish that everybody had more interest in it, and wasn't really put off by how difficult it was," she said.
The difficulty of learning the language did not stop her love of Chinese characters. In her eyes, each character is vibrant and full of life, and she singled out the characters for "flower" and "love" as being her two favorites, saying that their complexity is what makes them beautiful.
Earlier this year, Kiva joined a university-organized trip to China, and was deeply struck by the stark contrasts between the bustling modernity of Beijing and the deep-rooted traditions of the central Hubei Province. However, the highlight of her whole trip was visiting the Great Wall, an experience she had long dreamed of.
"Going to The Great Wall was actually one of the things that I really wanted to do because none of my parents had ever been to China, so it was one of their things that they wanted to do as well, they wanted to see The Great Wall. So I think in the afternoon in China it's like 2 or 3 a.m. here, and I called my dad at at 2 or 3 a.m. in the morning, just because I wanted to show him The Great Wall," said Kiva.
Flipping through old photos, Kiva recalled her first connection with China as a child, when her mother bought her a traditional Chinese qipao gown during a shopping trip. During her recent visit to China, she also sought out another traditional outfit to wear and posed for a photograph to capture the moment.
"I think it's just one of those parts of the culture that you are just not going to get in any other part, like you can always do calligraphy anywhere else, right? You can always learn the language somewhere else, but having the opportunity to try on the traditional dress, when it means so much to the culture and it's people I think is very, very important to me especially," she said.
Northern Irish student shares love of Chinese culture during Mid-Autumn Festival
