"Trust me, if you choose to use China-developed Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), you could quickly be rescued when an accident happens, while others using GPS technology will still be waiting for help," said Xu Ying, a researcher from the Academy of Opto-Electronics (AOE) at the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), in an interview with Chinese newspaper China Youth Daily.

It may be a great surprise to many that Xu was among the youngsters born in 1980s. As the youngest researcher and doctoral tutor of AOE,  she has participated in the development of BDS. Considered as an important part of China's space expedition, BDS is able to provide initial positioning, navigation, and timing services for China and its surrounding areas, and has been used in many fields. As one of the project's major developers, 34-year-old Xu has thus been brought into the spotlight.

Xu Ying. /China Youth Daily

For many Chinese netizens, Xu is famous for achieving so much at such a young age. In fact, this easy-going as well as energetic woman is keen not only on scientific research and studies, but also on giving promotional lectures about popular science to the public.

During her lectures, Xu always tries her best to give examples that her audience can relate to. For her, the lectures are a good opportunity to improve people's understanding as well as respect towards science.

Beidou, the China-developed Navigation Satellite System. /VCG Photo

"A sound social environment plays a key role in long-term scientific development" said Xu, pointing out that her aim is to awaken people's enthusiasm about science.

"Scientific research is indeed a hard and a bit of boring job, but it does not mean doing scientific research is useless," said Xu. In her opinion, scientific researchers may not get a high salary, but they can enjoy great happiness. "When you know that the whole country needs you and your efforts can change a nation as well as the world, it is a kind of intellectual impetus."‍

Do you want to know more about her or BDS? Please try to study Chinese harder.