The visit of the Chinese space duo stirred the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), as the city's residents, young and old, jostled to catch a glimpse of the two national heroes Thursday (Dec 1).

The pair, among a 30-strong delegation, arrived in Macao on Wednesday to share their fascinating experience with Macao's 480,000 residents.

On Thursday morning, the astronauts Fei Junlong, Nie Haisheng and other members of the Shenzhou-6 team, went to the Ruins of St.Paul Church for sightseeing and posed themselves as a new scene for the famed local tourism attraction.

Thousands of admirers awaited them there to see the "Hero Taikonauts".

When the two former jet-fighter pilots came to the Ruins, cheers and applause stormed the spot.

Chui Nam Peng, 73, was seen by Xinhua's reporter elbowing her way out of the crowd to snap the camera.

When questioned on how she was informed of the arrival of the astronauts, the granny responded angrily, "I am not that old to turn deaf ears to the news. All Macao people know about their presence. Don't you get a TV set?"

Every Macao resident feels proud of the success of the Shenzhou-6 space mission, added Chui.

"The astronauts are sons of the nation, so they are sons of Macao too," the granny chuckled.

The astronauts cruised in the sea of cheers, waving their "Thank you" to their fans under flashing spotlights.

In the afternoon, the delegation met with around 2,000 middle and primary school students at the Stadium of East Asian Games.

Many questions were raised by the students as "how could you tackle the problems in the space?" "If I want to be an astronaut, what preparation is needed?"

Fei and Nie answered their questions patiently.

A 12-year-old girl blasted out with a big announcement, "I want be the first lady astronaut from Macao."

No one laughed.

In the evening, a grand gala sponsored by the MSAR government was held at the Cacao Forum, a multi-functional convention center.

Thousands waved the national and MSAR flags, flash batons welcoming the show-up of the two taikonauts, attired with the trademark blue air force fatigues.

A local pop singer presented a Chinese song titled Fly Higher, a perfect illustration of the nation's unsatiable appetite for the development of the space technology.

A video tape was on show displaying the living scenes of the astronauts during the space mission.

The touchy moment came when the audience saw the daughter of Nie singing happy birthday through telephone to the then 41-year-old Daddy.

Tears were shinning in eyes of many observers.

"No difficulty could conquer us, because the motherland, the people and our families are behind us," Nie told the gathering.

The 30-strong Shenzhou-6 delegation arrived here on Wednesday after wrapping up its four-day tour in Hong Kong.

The tour fueled the space heat in the city with a population of over 480,000.

"We have been Chinese all along, the two astronauts are the pride and glory of all 1.3 billion Chinese nationals," enthused a Macao Taxi driver.

He was watching press news on the Shenzhou-6 delegation on the chilly Thursday evening while parking for calling.

Editor: Wing