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Kristen Cheung

Edith Lin

Hong Kong’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying has conducted a live lesson for students of her alma mater from the Tiangong space station, showing them how chicken wings are cooked in zero gravity and how she locates the city’s lights from the darkness of space.
In a livecast to teachers and students of Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College on Wednesday that was also streamed at other campuses across Hong Kong and Macau, Lai offered a glimpse of life in orbit and the experiments her team conducted.
She also encouraged students during a question-and-answer session to build a solid foundation in maths and science, telling them to “keep pushing and never fear hardships”.
“My education background, research and development experience, and my career have laid critical foundations for me to seize this opportunity. I hope students can constantly equip themselves and be brave and proactive as opportunities come along,” she said.
Lai and her crewmates, mission commander Colonel Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan, joined the “Tiangong class” at the school, jointly organised by the Hong Kong and Macau governments and the China Manned Space Agency.
The 90-minute session was streamed on campuses across the city, broadcast on television and aired to students in Macau, with youth, and innovation and technology representatives and a visiting Macau delegation also in attendance.
Lai opened the lesson by spinning a top, echoing the gyroscope that opened China’s first Tiangong class delivered by astronaut Wang Yaping. Colonel Zhu introduced the station’s three modules and showed how recycled water also helped to produce oxygen.

Lai then gave a tour of her sleeping area, which is decorated with her children’s drawings, family photos, models of Hong Kong street food and the police force’s anti-scam mascot.
“When we pass over China, I always look for the Greater Bay Area. Although Hong Kong is small in size, it has bright lights at night,” she said.
Speaking at the school, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government was planning an astronomy-themed popular science education campaign, and urged the public to take part in the activities.
“I also hope that the younger generation will take astronauts as their role models, strive to equip themselves, have the courage to pursue their dreams, and use their wisdom and hard work to contribute towards building the nation into a strong nation in space and opening a brilliant new chapter for the Chinese nation,” he said.
Before the class, Lai’s former teachers recalled her school days. Principal Lau Sui-yee described her as a diligent student and active student union member, while university supervisor Chow Kam-pui remembered her as a team player with strong analytical skills.
Students raised questions about AI and experiments in orbit. Lai said the station had begun trials of AI and robots that documented the crew’s tasks and inspected narrow ventilation ducts.
The crew also described some of their experiments, involving animals such as zebrafish and mice, that examined how zero gravity affected living organisms.
Lai also shared the toughest challenges she endured before the space mission, from desert survival exercises and a 72-hour sleep deprivation test to six days of cave training. She lifted off aboard Shenzhou-23 in May 2026, becoming Hong Kong’s first astronaut and China’s first female payload specialist.
One student asked how maths and science had helped her to become an astronaut.
“Take mathematics and science seriously and learn how to connect the dots between different fields to put your knowledge into practice in the future,” Lai replied.
Lai also responded to letters from students and briefly spoke with city leader Lee before concluding the lesson at about 11.30am.
“My presence in space has shown how the nation supports and attaches importance to Hong Kong. We are very lucky to experience an era of a strong and thriving nation,” she said.
Form Five student Chan King-lam, who studies physics, chemistry, biology and extended mathematics at the school, said the dialogue inspired him to explore science and that he hoped one day to take part in the country’s research.
“How Lai sacrificed family time for this career really earns our respect and makes me want to improve on my science studies,” he said.

He said he was awed to see Lai demonstrate textbook physics principles in zero gravity during the broadcast.
“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.
Without gravity, heat cannot circulate through air as it does on Earth, so Lai said they relied on special equipment such as forced-air ovens instead of microwaves to make their meals.
Form Six student Chan Tsz-ki said she was proud to see an alumna of her school become an astronaut and saw Lai as a role model as she pursued her science studies.
“I feel very close to her as we are using the same campus, the same facilities and some teachers are still the same,” she said. “I will also study hard to contribute to the country.”
Lai, a former Hong Kong police superintendent with a doctorate in computer science, was selected in 2024 as part of China’s fourth batch of astronauts. Before her selection, Lai was attached to police’s technical services division and was later transferred to the Security Bureau.
Lai grew up in Tsuen Wan and attended Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College in the 1990s. She enrolled at the University of Hong Kong in 2001, where she majored in computer science and information systems and later completed her doctorate.


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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong astronaut inspires pupils across city’s school halls in historic live lecture

Students at Scientia Secondary School watch astronaut Lai Ka-ying’s “Tiangong lesson”, broadcast live from the Chinese space station on Wednesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

Chief Executive John Lee speaks to Lai Ka-ying during the livecast from space at Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College, the Hong Kong astronaut’s alma mater. Photo: Handout

(From left) Form Six student Chan Tsz-ki, teacher Chan Kit-chee and Form Five pupil Chan King-lam of Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College said they were proud and touched by Lai’s lesson. Photo: Kristen Cheung

Students of Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College, the alma mater of Lai Ka-ying, walk past a poster for the Hong Kong astronaut’s “Tiangong Class” on Wednesday. Photo: Nora Tam

Students of Scientia Secondary School in Ho Man Tin watch the “Tiangong lesson”, conducted by Lai Ka-ying and her crewmates at the Chinese space station on Wednesday. Photo: Sam Tsang

‘Keep pushing, never fear hardships,’ Hong Kong’s first astronaut tells students

Astronaut Lai Ka-ying exercises in the space station. Photo: RTHK

Lai Ka-ying shares details about a small vegetable garden inside the space station. Photo: YouTube/RTHK

Lai Ka-ying demonstrates how she exercises in the space station. Photo: YouTube/RTHK

Lai Ka-ying has shared details about her astronaut training. Photo: Handout

Students watch the live lecture by astronaut Lai Ka-ying. Photo: Sam Tsang

Astronaut Lai Ka-ying holds a mini cake baked in the space station. Photo: YouTube/RTHK

Chief Executive John Lee speaks before the start of the “Tiangong class”. Photo: ISD

Lai Ka-ying waves during a see-off ceremony before the launch. Photo: Reuters

Tsuen Wan Public Ho Chuen Yiu Memorial College will host the “Tiangong Class”. Photo: Nora Tam

Hong Kong’s first astronaut to give live space lecture to students on Wednesday

First Hong Kong astronaut Lai Ka-ying. The 43-year-old police superintendent and mother of three is serving as the mission’s payload specialist. Photo: Handout

Lai Ka-ying is expected to help conduct more than 100 scientific studies aboard the Tiangong. Photo: Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

Education

City’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying and crewmates offer glimpse into their lives and experiments in space, inspiring youngsters in Hong Kong and Macau


City’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying and crewmates offer glimpse into their lives and experiments in space, inspiring youngsters in Hong Kong and Macau.


Education in Hong Kong

China

Macau

Hong Kong astronaut inspires pupils across city’s school halls in historic live lecture

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}City’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying and crewmates offer glimpse into their lives and experiments in space, inspiring youngsters in Hong Kong and Macau

City’s first astronaut Lai Ka-ying and crewmates offer glimpse into their lives and experiments in space, inspiring youngsters in Hong Kong and Macau