“大姐”不大，本事不小

曹辉

Big Sister with enormous energy

A 24yearold female space commander has become a viral sensation on Chinese social media for her work on the Change5 Moon exploration programme.

Despite being the youngest commander at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site， Zhou Chengyu is known as “Big Sister” as a sign of respect. Ms Zhou was in charge of the rocket connector system. Her story in particular has resonated （共鳴） with the public given her young age. Several people jokingly reflected on their own achievements， commenting how far behind in life they were in comparison.

The aim of the Change5， named after the Chinese moon goddess， is to gather lunar rocks and soil to help scientists learn more about the moons formations. If successful， it would be the first in more than 40 years to bring lunar samples back to Earth， and it will make China the third country to do so after the United States and the Soviet Union.

Most Chinese know the story of the mythological Change， the Chinese goddess of the moon. Its a story about a woman who drinks an immortality （永生） potion （药饮）. Accidentally， she left none for her husband， and weightlessly， flew to the moon so she can stay close to him until he dies. It is told every year during Chinas MidAutumn Festival. However， people cant hear the word “Change” without thinking of romantic images of a moon goddess. For this reason， Chinas mission to the moon was calling out for a strong female figure. Therefore， pictures of 24yearold Zhou Chengyu have been all over state media， with comments about how she is a “frontline soldier in the field of aerospace” and a “Big Sister” that young Chinese can look up to.

China has been increasingly trying to highlight strong female figures in the country. However， some people in China still feel that role of women in the country is still underplayed in some special industries. This was a big talking point last September， when a TV drama highlighting womens roles in Chinas COVID19 fight was widely viewed as sexist.

Apart from the factors mentioned in the text， can you think of any other factors that make Zhou Chengyu become a viral sensation on Chinese social media？

嫦娥登月谱新篇，不敬网红敬英雄。一起阅读“嫦娥五号”探测器发射升空时，文昌发射场上最年轻的女指挥员——“大姐”周承钰的故事。