From a rural Hunan village to a future in aerospace: an 18-year-old builds a 400-metre rocket with inexpensive materials and earns a place at Shenyang Aerospace University
Zhang Shijie, 18, comes from a village in central China’s Hunan province, where resources for science are scarce. His curiosity about rockets began at 14, after he watched a live launch with his father and decided to try making his own devices at home using cheap parts. This year, he announced his acceptance into the aerospace engineering major at Shenyang Aerospace University, one of China’s premier aerospace institutions. He achieved the remarkable feat of sending a rocket to 400 metres with his improvised setup, proving that curiosity and determination can overcome resource gaps.
In This Article:
A spark in a village: the moment the dream began
The spark came when Zhang was 14, after he watched a live rocket launch with his father and felt the pull of space. He decided to learn how rockets are built. With resources scarce at his village school, he began experimenting at home, using whatever materials he could find and teaching himself through trial and error.
Learning in the open: the internet lights his path
Because he had no formal training, Zhang turned to short video platforms to learn rocket construction. By November 2023, Douyin—the mainland Chinese version of TikTok—had 4.7 million science-experiment videos. Water-powered rocket videos grew eightfold that year. His secondary teacher, Long Yanjiao, says the internet was immensely helpful in nurturing Zhang’s passion, especially given the limited resources at his village school.
A turning point: admission to Shenyang Aerospace University
Zhang’s hard work paid off when he was admitted to the aerospace engineering major at Shenyang Aerospace University. This marks a major turning point: from DIY experiments at home to a formal program in aerospace. His story demonstrates how access to online learning can open doors for rural students seeking advanced science education.
A bigger message: rural talent, global opportunities
Zhang’s journey shows that determination, curiosity, and digital access can rewrite a rural student’s future. It invites educators and institutions to rethink how to bridge resource gaps and nurture more young people who dream of space. With more affordable tools and supportive networks, the boundary between village life and high-tech laboratories can shrink—and more stories like Zhang’s may follow.
