On June 16, 2012, China successfully launched [1] the Shenzhou-9 capsule, the country's fourth manned space mission. In order to celebrate this national feat, Chinese portal website Sina Weibo, has invited netizens to “write letters to the Shenzhou 9 capsule”. However, some have taken this opportunity to criticize excessive spending on a space mission, while the country is neglecting its basic social needs.
Artist Ah Ping's cartoon on the subject has been shared widely on Sina Weibo. As explained [2] by the China Media Project, the cartoon shows:
a bedraggled teacher in a clearly dilapidated rural school excitedly explains to his students that the successful launch of Shenzhou-9 is a victory for China, even as the students’ own condition tells the story of another China left behind. The teacher holds up a copy of People’s Daily and says: “With the successful launch of Shenzhou-9, our mother country’s space endeavors have taken a giant leap forward. I’d like all of you students to write a commentary about this!”
The sentiment of the cartoon is echoed by many netizens who have pointed out that the space mission is far easier than solving social problems in China [zh]:
@我朝有点威武 [3]:神九发射再次证明,解决贫困失学儿童问题,全民医保养老等有关民生的大事比登天还难
@tweetypie [4]: #给神九写封信#上天之后请问还逼人堕胎不?请问酸奶还用皮鞋做不?请问牛奶能放心喝了不?请问孩子们有校车坐了不?请问吃喝还公款不?请问城管还打人不?如果答案是“不”,那么,上个屁的天呀!为百姓做点实事真的有这么难么???
@坐在村口的小妖 [6]:#给神九写封信# 校车不安全,动车不安全,骑个自行车也不安全,赶紧量产了神舟吧,以后就都安全了
The news about the launch of the Shenzhou-9 capsule coincided with Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's delivery of her Nobel Peace Prize speech [7] in Oslo, Norway. On Twitter, most information activists believed that national glory should be built upon people's rights rather than space missions. Dissident blogger Wen Yunchao points out [zh]:
@wenyunchao [8]: 混微博的,为神九上天激动;混推特的,为昂山素季感动;这就是区别。
Tibetan dissent writer Degewa also raises her political concerns by retweeting a Tibetan microblog [zh]:
@degewa [9]: 转藏人微博:神九上天告诉我们,藏人去拉萨的路比登天还难。