On the morning of July 12, the Southern Regional Selection of the National Youth Aerospace Innovation Competition opened in Nanyue District, Hengyang City. Nearly 2,000 young aerospace enthusiasts from Hubei, Guangxi, Guizhou, Fujian, and Hengyang gathered at the foot of Mount Zhuzhong to participate in a competition themed “Exploring the Vast Universe, Embarking on Aerospace Dreams.” The event was attended by Zhu Jian, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Hengyang, who announced the official opening.

As the only aerospace-themed competition on the Ministry of Education’s whitelist of approved events, this year’s Southern Regional Selection reached a new record in scale. Contestants from primary, junior high, and senior high schools competed across three major categories: “Aerospace Creativity,” “Aerospace Scientific Inquiry and Innovative Design,” and “Space Exploration Skills.” The competition fully demonstrated the students’ deep engagement with aerospace technology and their spirit of innovation and practice.

Yu Miao, Director of the China Aerospace Science and Technology International Exchange Center, encouraged the participants to strive for excellence, work in unity, embrace challenges, and showcase their talents. He expressed hopes that they would deliver outstanding entries for the national finals and help discover and cultivate more reserve talents for China’s aerospace endeavors.

As the birthplace of Zhu Rong, the god of fire, Nanyue in recent years has continuously deepened the development of distinctive “Aerospace Science Popularization + Cultural Tourism” brands such as “Zhu Rong Exploring Mars” and “Zhu Rong’s Aerospace Dream.” The district has also pioneered the country’s first Mars-themed science landmark—the Zhu Rong Mars Exploration and Space Experience Center. Taking this competition as an opportunity, Nanyue aims to further promote the integrated development of “boosting tourism through competitions and driving industries through tourism,” accelerating its efforts to build a national destination for science education and study tours.

Municipal leader Xie Hong also attended the event.

Translator: Jing