China celebrates 20 years of space travel

Astronaut from first manned mission praises program that has so far carried out 12 crewed flights

This year marks the 20th anniversary of China's first manned space mission, which sent astronaut Yang Liwei on a 21-hour journey around Earth in the Shenzhou V spacecraft.

Since then, China, the third nation in the world capable of independently conducting manned space missions, has carried out 12 crewed flights that have transported 20 Chinese astronauts into Earth's orbit.

Yang, now a senior official in charge of the country's manned space program, told China Daily that he is very proud of the nation's achievements in space over the past two decades.