The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Sunday evening hosted a dinner for a visiting delegation of two astronauts and engineers of China 's second manned space mission.

Since the launch of China's first manned space mission Shenzhou- 5 in 2003, Hong Kong people have closely followed the development of the second mission Shenzhou-6, said HKSAR Executive Chief Donald Tsang at the dinner.

The success of Shenzhou-6 mission in mid-October has further improved Hong Kong people's pride of being a Chinese, said Tsang.

He said he hoped the visit of the delegation would enable Hong Kong people, especially the youngsters, to learn from the scientists and astronauts the spirit of perseverance.

The delegation, which arrived in Hong Kong Sunday morning, met with a gathering of some 40,000 people at a variety show on the afternoon.

They are scheduled to meet with people from all walks of life during their three days' stay in Hong Kong, giving science presentations and communicating with the public.

Source: Xinhua