What does it take to be the first Chinese woman in space? CGTN's Su Yuting finds out from Liu Yang, one of the three taikonauts on board China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft.  

SU YUTING BEIJING "You have been warmly received by President Xi Jinping. And President Xi also praised you on the successful completion of your task, and also on behalf of the image of Chinese women. As China's first female taikonaut, what do you think are the factors that made who you are today?"

LIU YANG CHINA'S FIRST FEMALE TAIKONAUT "I thanked President Xi Jinping for his praise and I said: President, I am living in a good era. The President replied by saying, good, you should remember: the times make heroes. I think I am lucky that I really caught up with a good time and I am growing and progressing with the times. After the mission, many people asked me, 'Did you dream of becoming an taikonaut when you were a child?' That wasn't the case. I said a dream is often the brand of the times. The first time I sat on a bus with my mother, I thought becoming a bus conductor would be great, as I could ride the bus every day. As I grew up, I then wanted to become a lawyer, a doctor, a scientist, and I really didn't think I could be a taikonaut. I joined the Air Force in 1997 and then was recruited into the second batch of taikonauts. Every growth and progress I made in my life was inseparable from the times."

SU YUTING BEIJING "From the time you first entered space, you became known as a national heroine. But the risks you've taken and the price you've paid to get there are little known. What difficulties have you and other taikonauts overcome?"

LIU YANG CHINA'S FIRST FEMALE TAIKONAUT "The difficulty and intensity of the training is really a big test for us. Someone asked me, you have been on the taikonaut team for so long, if you look back, do you think the taikonaut's life is hard? I say yes, it's hard with lots of bitterness. But it has not deprived me of life's pleasures. I am still feeling happy and rewarded. I think every taikonaut has the same feeling as me. Everyone has done a lot and sacrificed a lot for this career. I remember when Jing Haipeng was preparing for the task. His mother was hospitalized with a serious illness. His brother said to him, 'Don't worry, I will take care of our mother, you just focus on your cause.' I felt 'very guilty' that I had not been able to spend time with my family during intense trainings for the missions. My husband has been very supportive of me. I am very thankful to him."

SU YUTING BEIJING "You have also participated in many international conferences with foreign taikonauts. From your observations, how do they evaluate Chinese taikonauts and China's aerospace industry? "

LIU YANG CHINA'S FIRST FEMALE TAIKONAUT "Our manned spaceflight has developed rapidly. Now wherever we go, we can stand up firmly with our head raising high. During a meeting held by the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 2013, an elderly foreigner said to me that he came here today only wanting to pay respect to me. I don't think it was me that he was greeting. I think it was my strong nation he was greeting. In the 19th CPC National Congress, President Xi Jinping said China has entered into a new era and our manned space program has entered into a new era. That's the era of building the space station. Our taikonauts need to train harder to improve our physical and psychological capabilities and skills to meet the higher standards and requirements of future missions."