Dr Lai Ka-ying’s ‘Tiangong Class’ to Be Streamed at Happy Park

The University of Hong Kong invites students and staff to Sun Yat-sen Place (Happy Park) at 9:50 am, 9 September, to watch HKU alumna Dr Lai Ka-ying and the rest of the Shenzhou-23 mission crew teach a special “Tiangong Class” from aboard China’s space station.

Dr Lai, the first Hong Kong payload specialist, has already spent more than three months in space. Now, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, the Macau SAR government, and China’s Manned Space Agency are organising a livestreamed science class featuring the Shenzhou-23 crew for students and members of the public.

The class, which is billed as a "rare dialogue between space and Earth," will offer a glimpse of the kind of scientific work being conducted aboard Tiangong. In addition to in-orbit demonstrations given by the astronauts, the stream will also feature expert analysis and a question-and-answer session with the crew in space.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr Lai – who holds BSc (Computer Science and Information Systems), MPhil, and PhD (Computer Science) degrees, all from HKU – is participating in the Shenzhou-23 mission as one of its three-member crew alongside Yangzhu Zhu and Zhiyuan Zhang. They have been tasked to carry out more than 100 scientific and applications projects in life sciences, materials science, fluid physics, and medicine.

Celebrate Dr Lai’s achievements by visiting Happy Park today at 9:50 am, or watch the official broadcast on Radio Television Hong Kong or via the Information Services Department’s website here.

Details:

Event: Dr Lai Ka-ying "Tiangong Class" Watch Party

Time: 9:50 am, 9 September, 2026

Location: Sun Yat-sen Place (Happy Park)