Xichang: When the countdown began, the world seemed to fall silent, and everyone held their breath. The only sound that echoed through the air was Zhang Runhong's steady voice: "Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one, ignition!" Zhang is an "01" commander at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. She is responsible for coordinating all stages and systems involved in a rocket launch mission and ultimately issuing the final countdown and ignition commands. She is the first Chinese woman to hold this crucial position.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Zhang's journey to becoming an "01" commander was inspired by her participation in a satellite launch as a junior staff member in 2006. From that moment, she aspired to be the one at the console, a goal she shared confidently with Chinese President Xi Jinping in early 2018. During his visit to the military base where Zhang worked, Xi expressed his support for her ambition, stating that her success would be a milestone for women in China.
The path to achieving this dream was challenging. A commander must master technical knowledge across more than 20 subsystems and nearly 200 positions at the launch site, and every command must be issued with precision. Zhang prepared rigorously, studying in her spare time and gaining hands-on experience. Her dedication paid off when she directed the successful launch of a Long March-3B rocket in 2018, making history as China's first female "01" commander.
Zhang's story is part of a larger movement of Chinese women breaking barriers in space exploration. Liu Yang became China's first female taikonaut in 2012, completing a 13-day space mission, and Wang Yaping, China's second female taikonaut, highlighted the significant contributions of women to sci-tech innovation in China.
Under Xi's leadership since 2012, China has promoted gender equality and women's development, with women now making up 45.8 percent of the country's science and technology workforce. Efforts to support women's aspirations and contributions have been incorporated into policy documents and national development plans.
Xi has frequently cited the proverb "women hold up half the sky" to emphasize women's equal participation in society. Inspired by this call, women across China are taking bold strides toward their dreams, reaching for the stars.