China Broadcasts Greetings From The Moon
On Sunday, China broadcast greetings and two Taiwanese songs from its first moon probe. The broadcasts celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival when Chinese families come together to enjoy the vivid autumn moon.
The Chang’e-1 satellite, which is named after a lonely goddess believed to live on the moon, was launched in October 2007 and has already made thousands of orbits around the moon since then.
"Let’s (all Chinese compatriots) enjoy together the bright moon light and look forward to our reunion," the broadcast said, according to the Xinhua News Agency.
The satellite also broadcast two Taiwanese songs. The first was “Ali Mountain Girl,” a reunion themed folksong of Taiwanese aboriginals; the other was “Wish to with you forever,” which was writer by Liang Hong Zhi, a Taiwanese songwriter.
China has claimed to rule over the country since Taiwan split amid a civil war in 1949. China insists the democratic island must return to China by force if necessary, though relations have warmed between the two countries this year, as the Nationalist party took over the Taiwanese presidency.
Monday will be the first national holiday in China since the government added traditional festivals and shortened National Day and Labor Day holidays.
Chinese families traditionally celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival by gathering to sing, eating mooncakes, and by enjoying the moonlight.
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Image Caption: The launch of Chang’e 1 at Xichang Center
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