Hong Kong's First Astronaut Inspires Students From Space

Imagine your high school alumni coming back to speak at assembly, except she's floating 250 miles above Earth inside a space station. That's exactly what happened when Hong Kong's first astronaut, Lai Ka-ying, beamed down a live lesson to students at her alma mater this week.

Lai joined crewmates Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan aboard the Shenzhou-23 mission for the "Tiangong Class," a 90-minute broadcast streamed live to schools across Hong Kong and Macau. Students watched in awe as their former classmate demonstrated cooking chicken wings and cakes in microgravity, tended a small vegetable garden floating in space, and exercised in zero gravity.

For Form Five student Chan King-lam, who studies physics and chemistry, the demonstration brought textbook theories to life. "What impressed me most was watching them cook chicken wings and cakes. It really shows how difficult preparing fresh food is in space," he said.

The question and answer session revealed the tough journey behind Lai's achievement. She described grueling desert survival exercises with her team, a 72-hour sleep deprivation test, and six days of cave training. She admitted feeling lonely and finding the work hard, but said she never considered giving up.

When a student asked how math and science helped her become an astronaut, Lai emphasized that success required more than just two subjects. With a doctorate in computer science, she explained how math taught her data analysis and pattern recognition, while science developed her observation and problem-solving skills. But she stressed that communication and teamwork mattered just as much.

Why This Inspires

Lai's message resonates beyond technical skills. She connected Hong Kong's famous "Lion Rock spirit" of perseverance to the courage required for space exploration. "Living in such a great time, you must keep pushing and never fear hardships," she told students. "Your future selves will thank you for the perseverance and hard work you put in today."

Form Six student Chan Tsz-ki said seeing an alumna reach space felt personal. "I feel very close to her as we are using the same campus, the same facilities and some teachers are still the same. I will also study hard to contribute to the country."

Lai urged students to build strong foundations across different subjects, expose themselves to new fields, and connect knowledge from various disciplines. Her advice: be brave and proactive when opportunities arrive, because the preparation you do today determines which doors open tomorrow.

The lesson ended with Lai reminding students they live in an era of precious opportunities, and encouraging them to equip themselves with knowledge and courage to chase their dreams.