Jiang Xinlin's relatives gather together to watch the Long March 2F rocket, carrying Shenzhou XVII last Thursday. China's 12th manned spaceflight lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As the Long March 2F rocket carrying Shenzhou XVII, China's 12th manned spaceflight, prepared for liftoff on Oct 26 at 11:14 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the excitement was palpable. In a small county of Henan province, people anxiously awaited the moment, counting down enthusiastically, "Five, four, three, two, one, blast off!" The nerves gradually gave way to cheers and applause.

Jiang Xinlin, who was aboard the craft, was born in Qixian county, Henan province. Jiang Xiaotao, his father, said that relatives gathered together to watch TV that day. He felt nervous and excited. "I know which one is my son among them just because of his nose," he said.

When talking about his dream of going to space, Jiang described his son as quite good at studying. In his spare time, he would also work in the fields and take care of cattle and sheep for the family.

After graduating from university, Jiang wanted to become a pilot. He passed the flight selection for the Air Force and was admitted to the People's Liberation Army Air Force Aviation University.

During his 10-year flying career, he has safely flown for over a thousand hours and has been ranked as a first-class Air Force pilot.

When talking about his successful spacecraft launch, Jiang's parents couldn't hide their joy.

Shi Shimin, his mother, said, "I will cook his favorite food and wait for him when he comes back next year."

Another astronaut, Tang Shengjie, the youngest person to conduct space station missions in China, was born in 1989 in Dingxi city, Gansu province. His family also witnessed the moment with excitement according to reports.

Qi Xin in Zhengzhou contributed to this story.