It’s adorable. We really want to know though: why did @XHNews tweet the following at @TheOnion?

RT China’s #moonrover #Yutu awake after troubled dormancy http://t.co/PJco3XwDiN @NASA @TheOnion @HuffingtonPost @BreakingNews @googlenews

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) February 13, 2014

Although… that would explain a few things about Chinese media.

UPDATE, 2/14: Hmm.

People’s Daily publishes “Jade Rabbit’s Diary”, “I have no regrets”: http://t.co/xdV9YwtJpq

— Chris Buckley 储百亮 (@ChuBailiang) February 14, 2014

Wang Yaping, Zhang Xiaoguang and Nie Haisheng were launched into space yesterday, on the eve of Dragon Boat Festival (i.e. Duanwu Jie), from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert in Gansu province.

Today, to celebrate Duanwu, the crew ate zongzi – glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves — aboard the Shenzhou 10 capsule. Wang, 33, China’s second woman in space, is featured in the video above showing viewers what space zongzi look like.

Nothing Qu Yuan — the ancient poet for whom the holiday commemorates — would eat, probably, but it’s the spirit that counts.

The Shenzhou 10 crew was sent off yesterday with a small ceremony and words (via satellite) from president Xi Jinping. Reports AP:

“You have made Chinese people feel proud of ourselves,” Xi told the three astronauts. “You have trained and prepared yourselves carefully and thoroughly, so I am confident in your completing the mission successfully.

“I wish you success and look forward to your triumphant return.”

We’ll see if the astronauts (taikonauts, if we’re being technical here) do anything nearly as interesting as Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, but the Chinese crew apparently has been inspired by Hadfield to do some talks for students once they reach the space station prototype Tiangong 1.

AP Photo/Andy Wong

(Image via)

Ma Qiang, a 39-year-old businessman, was among the earliest volunteers for the Mars One project, a one-way trip to the Red Planet with no scheduled return. He sparked a wave of Chinese applicants, to the point that only the US has more willing volunteers for this Netherlands project, and that, in turn, has authorities worried.

Reports SCMP: “Starting from Sunday, major state news outlets issued a series of reports alleging the project was a business scam and that its organiser was incapable of and insincere about sending people to Mars.”

“We live in a country without dreams,” Ma said. “Our people should be allowed to dream for something that seems impossible today but possible with an effort tomorrow, not discouraged and scared.”

Meanwhile, Mars One has issued a statement reiterating its seriousness. Via Xinhua:

Mars One, a non-profit company, said it “is committed to landing the first human crew on Mars in 2023.” While claiming it has more than ten thousand Chinese applicants by now, the company are receiving more and more doubts from China.

We applaud people like Ma, who are obviously aiming for the stars, figuratively speaking. Failing to make Mars, they’ll probably die not reach the moon, instead dying in their cold spacecraft or in a fiery disintegration while trying to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. But the point is at least they tried.

(H/T Alicia)