‘This is true happiness’: Italian astronaut quotes ancient Chinese poem, becomes social media darling for excellent Mandarin
- Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti posted an excerpt from an ancient Chinese poem while aboard the International Space Station
- She translated the poem into English and Italian, and also posted three pictures taken from space
An Italian astronaut’s Twitter post of an ancient Chinese poem about space suggested to her by a sinologist friend has gone viral on mainland social media.
Samantha Cristoforetti, 45, posted an excerpt from Preface to the Poems Collected from the Orchid Pavilion, known as Lan Ting Xu in Chinese, on October 12 when the International Space Station (ISS) she was aboard was orbiting over China.
“Looking up, I see the immensity of the cosmos; bowing my head, I look at the multitude of the world. The gaze flies, the heart expands, the joy of the senses can reach its peak, and indeed, this is true happiness,” the excerpt read.
Along with the poem in Chinese and translated into English and Italian, Cristoforetti also posted three pictures taken from space.
Lan Ting Xu was written by the famous Chinese calligrapher Wang Xizhi in the 4th century. It is widely regarded as the greatest calligraphy work in ancient China.
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Cristoforetti’s post received widespread applause from internet users on the mainland, including Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning who said: “I have noticed the related reports and I raise a thumbs-up for the Italian astronaut.”
When interviewed by Chinese state-run English-language media CGTN, the astronaut said she chose the poem at the suggestion of a friend who is a sinologist.
“I wish I could take credit for that,” Cristoforetti told CGTN. “I have a good friend, an Italian who has lived in China for over 30 years. He is a sinologist, and very knowledgeable about Chinese literature. He suggested that to me, and it sounded like a great excerpt.
“So, unfortunately, I can not take credit for choosing it, but only for choosing my friend.”
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Besides Italian, the astronaut can speak five other languages including English, German, French, Russian and Chinese. She has taken the Chinese name “Shasha”, a typical sweet name for women in China.
When receiving training in China in 2017 as one of the first batches of European astronauts in a joint training programme between China and Europe, Cristoforetti conducted a media interview in Mandarin.
“This is the charm of Chinese culture,” wrote one person on Douyin.
“I think she is more literate than me,” another user joked.
