[MP-Ryan]

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/world-view/want-to-be-a-female-taikonaut-in-china-you-better-smell-good-and-no-scars/article4246516/

the name of the first female taikonaut remains a closely guarded secret in the countdown to the expected launch of the Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on Saturday. And the woman who is sure to be hailed as a Chinese national hero as soon as she reaches orbit appears to have been chosen based on some bizarre criteria that were not applied to the Shenzhou-9’s two male crewmembers.

According to several of China’s top space experts, to be considered for the mission, female taikonauts needed to be married and to have given birth naturally. Xu Xianrong, a professor with the General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, said recently that the additional qualifications would "ensure [the woman’s] body and mental condition was mature enough."

According to a recent issue of Space International magazine, which is produced by the state-run China Academy of Space Technology and thus seen as representing the government’s view of the space program, any women chosen for space missions had to be odour-free and have flawless skin.

Female taikonauts "even must not have decayed teeth because any small flaw might cause great trouble or a disaster in space," Pang Zhihao, the managing editor of Space International said in remarks printed by the official China Daily newspaper. A scar might open and start bleeding in space, he explained, while cramped conditions would "intensify body odour." (Smelly men didn’t seem to be a problem for Mr. Pang.)

Cross-cultural sexism seems to have some unintentional hilarity to it =)

[redsniper]

In Soviet China, only MILFs can go to space?

[SypheDMar]

This is why I'm American~

[swashmebuckle]

In the Chinese version of Apollo 13, the spacecraft is threatened by a female crewmember's potential zit.  Everyone at mission control pulls an all nighter, and the problem is finally solved by turning all the cameras out of focus and blindfolding the men.  Actually, that sounds like Star Trek.

[Dilmah G]

This is shameful. I get too uptight about things, but really? Wow. I think if I was an eligible woman (oh, if only!), I wouldn't apply, simply to make a point. Fecking disgusting. But, oh well! Their culture, I guess.

[karajorma]

To be honest, I wonder how much of that article is bull****. I've heard the reason that they want the women to have had children is that they simply don't want the astronaut exposed to cosmic rays and then have kids. Nothing to do with a woman who has had a kid being more healthy.

Now whether or not that is a valid concern is another issue.

EDIT : China Daily does seem to agree with what that paper says. But the first thing you learn over here is "Don't bother reading China Daily"

[BloodEagle]

Firefox is flipping out, telling me that that site isn't safe.

[Pred the Penguin]

Firefox is flipping out, telling me that that site isn't safe.

That's a hint if anything.

[Flipside]

Considering what happened during the Olympics, suffice to say I wouldn't put it past the powers that be to insist on someone who is 'Media Friendly' with regards to looks etc.

[Scourge of Ages]

Considering what happened during the Olympics, suffice to say I wouldn't put it past the powers that be to insist on someone who is 'Media Friendly' with regards to looks etc.

Pretty sure that's the long and short of it in this case. They want a "good" example for all to see.

[Legate Damar]

To be honest, I wonder how much of that article is bull****. I've heard the reason that they want the women to have had children is that they simply don't want the astronaut exposed to cosmic rays and then have kids. Nothing to do with a woman who has had a kid being more healthy.

Now whether or not that is a valid concern is another issue.

I have seen Terran media relating to this situation. The father develops a malleable body, the mother becomes invisible, and the child has the power to alter reality.

[Scourge of Ages]

I have seen Terran media relating to this situation. The father develops a malleable body, the mother becomes invisible, and the child has the power to alter reality.

I may have heard about an episode of Jerry Springer with that plotline.

[Mikes]

Now they need to release the male critera: Needs not to ever have had sex yet as... uhm.... an indication of extreme devotion to their career?

We will call the resultion hilarity: Milfs & Virgins go to Space!



Only questions that remain:
How will the film crew fit aboard?
Will the movie be in 3d?


Sarcasm and stupidity aside...  well actually that won't do, the original notion is just stupid. No way around that.


Save us Captain China... 

[redsniper]

Cardassians

You mind cutting that out. It's getting old. Fast.

[MP-Ryan]

Firefox is flipping out, telling me that that site isn't safe.

G&M is having some trouble with their security certificates lately.  I had to disable HTTPS Everywhere last week for its pages.  I emailed their web response and they appeared to have it fixed, but it may have cropped up again.

[NGTM-1R]

It must have something to do with the strange yellow and green fog they're having too.

[karajorma]

Thought so. The story is basically bollocks.

1) Women must be mothers because of worries over fertility.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/08/china-mothers-space-astronauts

2) Neither men nor women can be stinky.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/03/china-astronaut-search-bad-breath

Basically the only claim I can't refute in a 2 minute search of a reputable newspaper rather than the **** rag MP-Ryan linked to is the one about flawless skin. And I'll lay odds that's either a requirement for the men too or simply a mistranslation of the no scars bit.

[MP-Ryan]

While I make no claim as to the Globe and Mail's accuracy, it's actually quite a reputable news source (most of the time; it's one of two major newspapers in Canada).  Both the Guardian articles you've linked are years out of date, and the G&M piece quotes heavily from Chinese news sources regarding statements made in the last week.  That said, all the links to said Chinese sources (China Daily, Xinhua) contained in the article are down as of today.

*shrug*

You're in China, go interview a taikonaut for us

[Pred the Penguin]

Mistranslations would probably explain a lot. I'll see if I can't dig something up.

[karajorma]

I don't think the issue was just mistranslations quite so much as something like this.

Reporter 1 : What are the requirements for your female astronauts?
Scientist : They must have no scars, smell nice, etc
(Silence where no one asks if the males have the same requirements)
Globe & Mail reporter reads story, invents sexism angle. Doesn't check facts in the slightest.

While I make no claim as to the Globe and Mail's accuracy, it's actually quite a reputable news source (most of the time; it's one of two major newspapers in Canada).  Both the Guardian articles you've linked are years out of date, and the G&M piece quotes heavily from Chinese news sources regarding statements made in the last week.

Seriously, a search on Google for "Taikonaut Requirements" would have turned up links refuting the story that appeared within seconds. I know cause I ran that search just now. Even if you can't be bothered to check facts, why invent a bull**** sexism angle when the "Those crazy Chinese!" angle is already there? That's ****ty reporting at the very least.

That said, all the links to said Chinese sources (China Daily, Xinhua) contained in the article are down as of today.

I'm not certain how long they've been down. Earlier, I had to find the China daily article myself by searching on their website. The link on the article didn't work. They've certainly been down from the time I first posted on this thread.

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-03/25/content_14906617.htm

That's the story I found when I checked.

You're in China, go interview a taikonaut for us

One of the Taikonauts is actually from Zhengzhou, Henan which is less than an hour from where I'm staying. I doubt she'll be there now though. She's probably in the Gobi Desert where they launch these things from. And that's more like 3 days travel by train.

EDIT : I notice that the original article has now been edited to
1) Blame the failures in reporting on the fact that the Chinese won't talk to them.
2) Insinuate that the female taikonauts receive less training than the males.
3) Claim that Major Liu Yang is from Jilin despite the fact that pretty much every report I can find claims she's from Henan.