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‘World’s biggest’ planetarium looks at space through China’s lens
- Shanghai facility showcases Chinese advances, with only passing mention of US and Soviet Union
- Opening comes as country develops its own space station and rovers scours the surface of Mars
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China has opened the doors on what it bills as the world’s largest planetarium, a slick new Shanghai facility showcasing the nation’s recent extraterrestrial exploits while downplaying those of space pioneers like the United States.
Beijing has spent much of this year bombarding the public with news of the country’s rising space prowess, part of a larger propaganda blitz highlighting Chinese achievements under the ruling Communists to mark the party’s 100th anniversary.
In recent months, China has landed a spacecraft on Mars, set loose a rover to explore it, and sent the first astronauts to a Chinese space station.
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Scale-model replicas of spaceships from these and other missions feature at the new Shanghai Planetarium, along with paeans to China’s rapid scientific advancement, and clips of President Xi Jinping addressing the nation’s astronauts.
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“This year we had several astronauts go to space, which is a source of pride for China,” said a woman surnamed Zhou, who brought her young daughter.
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