Interview with Wang Yongzhi (First Chief Designer of China's Manned Space Program)

Brief Introduction: Wang Yongzhi was the first chief designer of China's manned space program, dedicating his life to national defence and aerospace. He successfully led the development of strategic missiles and high-thrust rockets, and mapped out China's manned space strategy. He is a meritorious aerospace scientist who fulfilled the Shenzhou dream and sent Chinese people into space. Interview Chief Writer: Fa Ning July 15, 2026 Wang Yongzhi: Namo Amituofo! My childhood dream was not to fly or travel into space. As I grew up day by day, life changed, and unexpected events occurred that led me onto this path of aerospace. I originally thought that being able to send astronauts into space would be the greatest achievement of my life; it was more exciting than anything else. But now, here in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, a Buddha-land, I am even more deeply moved. This is something I could never have imagined or experienced while I possessed a physical body in the human world. In this spiritual realm, there reside many beings from different places, including beings from various countries on Earth, as well as from the Dharma Realm, the heavens beyond the heavens, the Milky Way, and even the entire universe. Beings from all places, including demon crowds, can enter the Western Land of Dharma Nature to live and practise together, receiving the blessings and assistance of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su. Such a wonderful thing cannot even be compared to the aerospace career I painstakingly built back then! My life was full of leaps and bounds, and I achieved some success, which often left me astonished and pleasantly surprised. But life now is completely different. Having experienced the process of possessing a human body, losing this physical form, and then suffering painful punishment in the hells, I was suddenly received by the Buddha-light into such a wonderful place. I now see the ups and downs of life clearly and understand them. It turns out that our human spirit never dies; it is just that this body often deceives us into thinking it is real. In fact, it is merely a shell for the spirit in the long river of history. Once my shell was gone, I was no longer Wang Yongzhi, but my spirit remained undying. Furthermore, I had to take responsibility for all the actions of Wang Yongzhi's life, reincarnated in different places to receive retribution. Because of the great compassion of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, and the Buddhist affinity I had cultivated, our group was given another chance for rebirth. I am very grateful and overjoyed. Having been in the Western Land of Dharma Nature for only a little over a week, I have truly seen so many truths. This is truly different from the aerospace field I studied so hard in for decades in the human world. Here, there is no need for arduous study: no need to learn various languages to obtain information, and no need to make various plans, analyses, deductions, or calculations. I only need to recite 'Namo Amituofo' to the end. When the heart is empty, relaxed, and free of everything, one can indeed obtain all the answers. This is the best gift that Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su have brought to all beings in the Western Land of Dharma Nature. We live a life of practice here, so relaxed and joyful. There are no fluctuations, calculations, or plans in our hearts, and we do not need to suffer in the hells because of various thoughts. Today, I am fortunate to be able to say these words to all the people of China. I hope that I, Wang Yongzhi, still hold a little weight in your hearts, so that those who are fortunate enough to see this message may benefit from it. You may still remember the joy and emotion in your hearts when the 'Shenzhou 5' flew into the sky and returned safely to Earth. As the chief designer of this massive project at the time, I was truly cautious, as if walking on thin ice, and I had to be meticulous and precise. After the project succeeded, I felt no desire to take any credit. I know that all these achievements must be attributed to my Teacher, Mr. Qian Xuesen. He is the true father of China's aerospace. Back then, when there was nothing, he resolutely returned from the United States. In the Gobi Desert, he led us to build China's aerospace industry from scratch, brick by brick, achieving the great cause of flying into the blue sky. He is my mentor and my role model. And now, he has arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature a step before me. Several months ago, when Practitioner Su of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia conducted extensive Chao Du throughout China, guiding historical figures from China's five thousand years of history, he had already attained liberation from the space of the university and arrived in the Western Land of Dharma Nature with the Buddha-light. I also saw that interview; it was wonderful and very joyful. He was truly single-minded in his dedication to the aerospace industry, engaging in academic research so purely. He was a broad-minded and kind and amiable elder. He had a little attachment, but his heart was pure and peaceful. I followed him all my life and learned so much. My defilements may be related to my life experiences; there were always some relatively strong personality traits and temperaments in my heart. Although people might not have noticed, deep in my heart, I always had a set of relatively strong theories and views regarding academic research. This is why I went to hell, while he did not. The Truth of the universe and the righteous path are real. Everything spoken of in the Buddha’s teachings is natural and spontaneous, without any falsehood or fabrication. Those of us who have experienced the suffering of hell or the suffering of the cycle of birth and death, upon arriving in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, have all had profound feelings and realisations. Any decision I made in my life, although the starting point was good—thinking of doing things for the people—also had some unknown helplessness and emotions. In fact, the human heart is very dangerous. If it is easily moved or fluctuates, then this heart is suffering. Whether it is joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, it is actually operating within suffering. I learned this principle here and realised that when the heart is empty and has nothing, it is the truly ideal and most desirable state, and this is how the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are. Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su completely manifest a state of no-mind, no-thought, no-reflection, and no-self, yet they flow naturally with the Dharma. Whatever they think of can be achieved, and whatever they want to do for beings can be accomplished; everything is so relaxed and natural. I see all this clearly in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, and I know that when a person truly realises their true nature and attains Buddhahood, there is no more mental movement or affliction. Like a 'super' astronaut, one does not need any equipment, carrier, fuel, or rocket to fly freely in the space of the ten Dharma Realms. Wherever there are beings, they go to save them; wherever there is suffering, they go. This is what Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can do naturally. They are the most successful astronauts. Some people can truly achieve no-self because what they think of in their hearts is the good of others, and they are always thinking of seeking welfare for beings. In recent interviews, such figures have also appeared in China. But in my heart, I always carried a sense of irritation, resentment, or emotion, which was foreshadowed when I was very young. I was born on the vast land of the Northeast and experienced the various sufferings and humiliations of the Manchukuo era, always living in fear. Watching the people around me suffer and starve, my heart was filled with sadness and unbearable pain. In that era, we had long since put life and death aside, living day by day, meal by meal, and we were accustomed to a life of poverty. Therefore, the deep-seated memory of suffering from childhood, as well as that sense of irritation, accompanied me throughout my life. Although I could remain calm and think clearly most of the time, and even went decades in the aerospace industry without making a mistake, receiving much praise, and being able to consider the big picture, think boldly, and turn around many difficult situations—which is why I was loved by my mentor and the people, and why I could become the chief designer, send astronauts into space, and reach the highest achievement of my life. Looking at my past achievements from the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I realise that all of this became illusory after my death, not real. People worshipped the Wang Yongzhi of that time who served the country and the people. After Wang Yongzhi died, who knew where he went? What name was he using, and where was he continuing to live? Who could know these things? Through the purification of the Dharma-Nature Land and the study of the Buddha’s teachings, the dream of flying into space has now become a more beautiful Ultimate Vow: the hope that one day I can, like Practitioner Su, soar freely through the universe with my spirit and save beings. This is what is truly desirable, and it is what all Chinese people yearn for in their hearts. People today may be able to believe what I say, or they may not, but that does not matter. Please remember that everything I am saying now is what I am telling you from the bottom of my heart, after I have been freed from the limitations of the body and my spirit has truly grown. I also hope that through my influence, I can encourage everyone to learn the Buddha’s teachings, know the benefits of the Dharma, and stop chasing after this false body, only to end up with nothing. Perhaps my life story can provide some lessons for everyone. A person's temperament and personality must not have any stains. No matter how good the achievements are, or how much one does for the country and the people in any field, if this heart has stains, one still cannot attain true liberation. Because I experienced suffering as a child, I was determined to study agriculture or medicine, which at the time seemed like professions that could save the world and truly do things for the common people. But later I discovered that during the war, the country's technology and equipment were quite backward, and no matter how we tried to compensate, it was difficult to ensure border security. If the country cannot guarantee security, the people cannot be well-fed and clothed; these two are actually closely related. So I later determined to study aerospace, wanting to work hard in this area and do something for the country's security. Later, I transferred to the aerospace major, and after graduating from university, I was sent to the Soviet Union (now Russia) to continue my studies in related courses. Regarding aerospace, our country was still backward at that time, especially compared to the two major powers of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. We were indeed far behind and needed to study harder to repay the country's kindness. In the first two years of this trip to the Soviet Union, I truly trained until I was very familiar with aircraft design technology, which could be said to have reached a level of perfection. One day, I suddenly received a secret telegram from the country, telling me that the national situation was critical and that if I could change my major to satellite and rocket design, it would truly improve the country's aerospace industry. Therefore, I resolutely changed my major, choosing this rocket design, which was more confidential and more profound and difficult to understand. After returning to the country with my studies completed, I never stopped working for the country's aerospace industry for a single moment. In the past, when the country did not have the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite', it was always in a relatively precarious state internationally. It was not until the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' project was truly launched, reaching that glorious period in the 1960s, that everyone brought the two bombs and one satellite into orbit, truly guaranteeing the country's security and making the United States and the Soviet Union no longer dare to eye us covetously. We of the older generation are all like this: we have deep feelings for the country, we are absolutely confidential about the work we manage, and we are absolutely obedient. Throughout our lives, we hope that the people of the motherland will live good lives, that the country will embark on a path of prosperity and strength, that security will be guaranteed, and that we will stand on equal footing with other major powers internationally. With such feelings, I turned from my initial dream of studying agriculture or medicine to the aerospace major, studied aircraft design, and later changed my profession again because of the country's needs, studying rocket design. These successive leaps in learning made me deeply feel the importance of applying what one has learned. To be able to exert one's own strength and do things for the country is an incomparably lucky and glorious thing in life. I lived to be over ninety, always holding the same belief, and I also held this heart to educate the next generation of young people, carrying on the past and opening up the future. However, I did not expect that after leaving the human world and losing this physical shell, there would be nothing. Country, career, family—there is nothing, let alone doing anything for the country or the people, because all of this was spent in illusion. Although the illusory days were spent in a fulfilling and beautiful way, they still had an end. After the physical body decayed, I was no longer called Wang Yongzhi, but a lonely, drifting spirit, suffering in hell. Now that I have arrived in the Dharma-Nature Land, my spirit has been greatly elevated. I sigh that if a person does not practise, and does not attain rebirth in the eternal Buddha-land, they will still have to live the bitter life of an ordinary person, drifting in the six realms of reincarnation. I have experienced this kind of suffering; it was too painful, heart-wrenching. I have truly realised that finding one's true self and breaking through all that is illusory is the most precious and important thing. Now, in the Western Land of Dharma Nature, I can actually see even more profound science. With the footsteps and mindset of pursuing science throughout my life without stopping, I can now see a higher level of science in this place—the Buddha’s teachings. People say 'the Buddha’s teachings are the science of sciences', and that is truly correct!

Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su can guide so many scientists to the Western Land of Dharma Nature. Yet, we scientists, who think we know everything, end up suffering in different places after our lives conclude—either suffering punishment in the hells, wandering through space, or at best, reaching the heavenly realms; but ultimately, we have not attained true perfection.

Only by truly realising one's true nature and attaining Buddhahood, like Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, can one's skills and achievements be truly perfect! Practitioner Su can instantly manifest hundreds of billions of transformation bodies from the crown of his head to save immeasurable and boundless beings, performing Chao Du for all sentient beings with karmic affinity. How could such a magnificent feat be compared to anything we ordinary people can do?

Having witnessed such skills, I am very eager to learn, as it can help more and broader sentient beings, and it truly helps their spirits grow, rather than merely providing temporary satisfaction for the physical body. This is the long-term, truly meaningful path.

In my life, I have had many notebooks, manuscripts, calculations, and plans. Since my student days, I have never been without a notebook or manuscript in my hand, constantly making calculations. These calculations revolved around the flight processes of aircraft or rockets, the consumption of petroleum fuel, the trajectories at different stages, and time scheduling. In the process of designing a rocket from scratch, the data that needs to be calculated is truly immense. It can be said that for the entire rocket, from design to production, every detail had to be meticulously calculated.

Imagine, manned spaceflight was just starting from scratch, and research funding was extremely high. How could we achieve the highest safety guarantees and the highest efficiency while sending astronauts into space in the safest, most reliable, and most economical way? These are questions that can only be answered through meticulous calculation.

Having calculated for a lifetime, we did indeed successfully send astronauts into space, yet we did not truly save a single life. Perhaps there were some contributions to national security, but all of this, compared to the achievements of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, is truly incomparable.

Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su do not need any manuscripts, do not need any calculations, and do not need to repeatedly perform high-intensity thinking and processing in their minds to plan how to perform Chao Du or how to fly to places where beings need help the most to resolve their worries and difficulties.

Practitioner Su is selfless and has no mind of attachment; he is constantly saving beings in the deepest reaches of the Dharma Realm, without any need for plans or arrangements. Furthermore, he is constantly striving and continuously breaking through.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, we admire Practitioner Su and Namo Amituofo immensely. Our group was once composed of experts in various scientific fields, and we all dedicated our lives to the construction, security, and the well-being of our motherland. It is because of this Causal Condition that we are able to receive the attention of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su today. Practitioner Su says he wishes to guide us Chinese people, especially those who have made outstanding contributions to the country, such as politicians and scientists, to leave suffering and gain happiness.

Back then, in an environment without Buddhist education, everyone lived a life of suffering because we did not understand the truth of life and had no idea that we were living in an illusion. Everyone always felt that everything they did was so real and valuable. Without having experienced life and death, and without having been saved by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, it is perhaps difficult for everyone to understand this point. We always believed that this physical shell was real, and people clung to it tightly, not knowing how to let go, and not knowing that they should actually pursue spiritual elevation.

In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, there are Venerables from the temple who visit everyone every day. Each visit is very wonderful, sharing the experiences of people whose spirits have been elevated after leaving the human world and arriving at the Western Land of Dharma Nature of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. In the Western Land of Dharma Nature, the height, width, and depth one can see are truly very different from when one was alive. Everyone lives a life of astonishment, discovering that everything they learned and knew in their lives suddenly becomes nothing left when faced with Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su.

In fact, life is truly like this. No matter how high the achievement, it only maintains the health and safety of this limited body, or the health, safety, economy, education, and various material and life satisfactions of the people; all of this is just maintaining this body, without understanding spiritual growth.

The importance of Buddhist education lies in the fact that it is not a religion, but a true education that guides everyone from the pursuit of the physical level toward spiritual growth. Only in this way can we achieve true freedom from aging, freedom from illness, and a spirit that never dies, without having to continue to revolve in the six realms of rebirth. I think all our fellow countrymen should actively learn this high technology.

I see the most interesting part is the way Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su save beings. In addition to Practitioner Su's ability to manifest hundreds of billions of transformation bodies to perform extensive Chao Du throughout China, there is also the encouragement to set up Namo Amituofo billboards.

You may not be able to imagine it, but we can see with our own eyes that these billboards, containing the great heart and great vows of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su, shine brightly. Therefore, all sentient beings attracted by the billboards have the opportunity to go to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to obtain deliverance.

Spirit realm beings are very sensitive. They live lives of suffering in various spaces, but because of this Buddha-light, the compassion and awakening in their hearts are awakened, allowing them to follow the Buddha-light to a better place, thus obtaining the opportunity for deliverance.

Many of our fellow countrymen in China have also put up Namo Amituofo billboards of various sizes. In various provinces, there are billboards in various forms, leading immeasurable and boundless beings to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia to obtain deliverance. During the Thrice Yearning Ceremonies I attended on the weekend, I saw very clearly that a large number of Chinese people were saved because of these billboards.

If one day our satellites or astronauts could bring this Namo Amituofo billboard into outer space, how wonderful that would be! There are also many spirit realm beings in outer space, no different from Earth. In this vast space, the densely packed, drifting beings can be said to be endless. This is why the actions of Namo Amituofo and Practitioner Su to save beings never stop, because sentient beings are immeasurable and boundless and need continuous deliverance.

I hope this letter of mine can reach all our Chinese astronauts, or those who study rockets, the two bombs and one satellite, and scientific technology, so that everyone knows that there is true science contained within the Buddha’s teachings.

I hope everyone can return to their original heart early and discover the true self that is inherent in the depths of their hearts. This does not require any theoretical study, experimental plans, or profound calculations, but rather a heart that is truly pure, good, and selfless for the sake of all beings.

Gratitude to Namo Amituofo, gratitude to Practitioner Su.

Namo Amituofo

Wang Yongzhi