When a country suddenly makes a great achievement, people are often too carried away to be clearly aware of the concrete position their country stays in.

This is particularly the case when it comes to China's successful launch of manned space flight.

One month after the launch, stories about our country's programmes for the next-stage of space development, the first "spaceman" Yang Liwei, and even his family, are still making front-page headlines on newspapers and websites both at home and abroad.

No doubt, Yang Liwei and his colleagues in the project had a very difficult job. They deserve our admiration and offer us food for thought.

It is not strange that Yang has held the spotlight in the country's newspapers and TVs in the past days, given that the public has a strong curiosity about how the country's first astronaut did before, during and after his space flight.

It was Yang and other numerous space personnel, on or behind the scenes, with their unwavering pursuit of unknown scientific fields and arduous exercises beyond physical limits, that have made China the third member of the world's "space club," behind the United States and Russia, which can put a man into orbit.

Yang Liwei and his carrier, Shenzhou-V, certainly could become the symbol of Chinese national pride.

It is also completely understandable that the whole nation has been in a state of extreme excitement, and even rapture, over the magnificent event.

But our fellows should also remain cool-headed while enjoying and cheering the successful flight.

In the past days since the successful mid-October launch and return of Shenzhou-V, most of the Chinese media and people have talked about the great event excitedly but in an objective tone at most of the time.

They have fully affirmed China's significant achievements in the space field and looked forward to the country's brighter prospects. They have also acknowledged that China's space development programmes are still in an initial stage and its space exploration still lags behind the other two space giants.

However, Shenzhou-V has also given some Chinese people excessively optimistic views about the country's strength.

Every Chinese person should remember the country's "Great Leap Forward" (1958-60), during which the nation launched an aggressive economic development campaign to surpass Britain and catch up with the United States.

Of course, China did not realize its ambitious dream given that it did not comply with the laws of economics. On the contrary, it brought enormous disaster to the economy and the people.

Certainly, today's China is not the same one.

But China's comparatively large gross domestic product (GDP) has not changed its still lower level of per capita GDP.

The cow-ploughing agricultural model invented as early as 2,000 years ago is still prevalent in the vast rural areas without improvements.

Various difficulties are foreseeable in the country's economic transition.

China is still lagging behind many countries such as Japan either economically or technologically, despite enjoying some advantages over them.

The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation needs the cool head and pragmatic attitude of its people at this moment, not impractical ambitions or dreams.

(China Daily November 14, 2003)