[Opinion] Ship of God

In the sixteenth century China during the Ming Dynasty, there was a scientist called Wanhu. He was dreaming of a human rocket, so he tied himself onto a chair and held gunpowder boxes in his hands. His servant ignites. I wish he had been soaring up into the air, but he died a heroic death instead. I’m not sure how his death was judged by the Chinese of the time. Science was not welcomed in China where people viewed the nature and the universe as the world of harmony instead of the objects of conquest. They did not ask “why” as westerners did because they had enormous land to cultivate without much competition. It mattered more for them to deliberate on “how” to live a harmonious life in the whole. The reason that China could not stand as the country of the world’s best science technologies derives from this fact - even though all the early science technologies from astronomical observation to irrigation system came from there at the time when the western world could not even dream about it.

They are no longer the descendents of Laozi or Chuangzi that wander around the nature just like in a fairy land painting. Nine members in the standing committee of the Political Office in the Chinese Communist Party are engineers. The dream of Wanhu was brought to life again with the successful launching of Shenzou 5, China’s first manned spaceship launched at 9 a.m. local on October 15. China has immediately joined the club of space power following the former Soviet Union and the U.S. No European countries or Japan has joined the club. The U.S. Administration, who has monopolized the space since the collapse of the former Soviet Union, almost lost consciousness upon hearing this news, according to some western scientists.

Many Chinese still suffer from hunger, and their place in the UN Human Development Index – that indicates people’s happiness in living – is 96th. Despite this fact, they have poured enormous funds into research and succeeded in launching a manned spaceship for the sake of their “national pride,” analyze some experts. As Yuri Gagarin in the former Soviet Union and Alan Shepard in the U.S. had filled their people’s heart with great pride, Chinese are looking forward to the safe return of Yang Leewei, the first spaceman in China. His success will cover up the “minor” national problems in China such as corruption and unemployment and will be remembered as an inspiring achievement to proclaim the Chinese power all over the world.

The Ship of God, with the calligraphic writing of Jiang Zemin, holds China’s great hope to overcome the inferiority to the western science technology and further to lead the technology and economics arena in the twenty-first century. The Ship of God symbolizes China’s move forward to become a military power with the economic development based on the science technology and with the national wealth based on capitalism. China has already settled as a significant political partner that the U.S. relies on by holding the six-party talk on the North Korean nuclear issues. Many experts expect China to emerge as a significant power to the America’s unilateral world. I fear not the soaring-up-high China but us who do not notice the worsening situation in the national strife murmuring the word, “Northeast Asian Economic Hub” to ourselves.

Kim, Soon-duk, Editorial Writer yuri@donga.com