China has finally been given a name to the rover onboard the Tianwen-1 probe, which arrived in orbit around Mars on February 24. The rover will be launched onto the surface of Mars in May and will be tasked with searching for signs of ancient life.
Chinese authorities chose the name Zhu Rong for the rover. They named the rover after the legendary god of fire and war, rather than the more modest Hongyi, which means "open mind."
Associated Press said the rover part of China's space dreams, including the launch of a crewed orbital station and the landing of a human on the moon. In 2019, China became the first country to land a space rover on the moon's little-explored far side, and lunar rocks were returned to Earth for the first time since the 1970s in December.
Name Behind Tianwen-1's Zhu Rong Probe
South China Morning Post said Zhu Rong was a fearsome character with a man's face, the body of a beast, and the ability to ride two dragons. He rained down fire from heaven on the earth and flung it at his foes in battle. His name was once used as the title for the Minister of Defense in ancient China.
Zhu Rong met Gong Gong, the lord of water, in one of the several battles he waged. Zhu Rong had got an instruction from heaven to get rid of Gong Gong because he was violating the laws. Zhu Rong won a major battle that erupted.
However, the war-shattered one of the universe's foundations of balance and harmony. Natural disasters and anarchy followed the battle, leaving the human world in total darkness.
"Zhu Rong is revered as the earliest god of fire in traditional Chinese culture, symbolising the use of fire to illuminate the earth and bring light," New York Post quoted the space administration's statement.
"The first Mars rover was named Zhu Rong, and it means to ignite the fire for interstellar exploration in our country, and guide mankind to continue exploration and self-transcendence in the vast starry sky."
In an online poll conducted by China's space officials, the name Zhu Rong got approximately 20% more votes than Hongyi, the preferred term of many Chinese space scientists.
A term from Confucius' Analects - a collection of his quotations - implies having an open and strong mind.
Zhu Rong seemed to be a good fit for many people.
"Zhu means forever, rong stands for light," said Robin Li, tech guru and CEO of Chinese search engine giant Baidu, on his social media account last July. Li said he hoped the Lord of Fire would "bring fire and light to the land and people forever."
Where Is Tianwen-1's Probe Now?
A Beijing-based space scientist, who was surprised by the final outcome, told SCMP that China's Mars exploration has just recently begun.
The probe is now orbiting the red planet after leaving Earth last summer in the hopes of landing, which it will most likely do next month. Several American rovers, like NASA's latest Perseverance, have also landed.
Perseverance is about the size of a sedan, runs on a nuclear battery, and has a helicopter that flew twice on Mars on Monday.
The popularity of the name Zhu Rong represents the growing tensions between China and the United States over the space race.
In terms of space exploration, China has been catching up to the United States. The country launched the world's first quantum spacecraft, landed softly on the moon's far side, and returned lunar samples in a solely robotic flight. It would shortly begin construction of its own space station.
Competition persists in deeper space - such as the moon, Mars, and beyond - but some space analysts believe there is more potential for collaboration between China and the US.
According to NASA, the Chinese and American space agencies exchanged some data from their Mars missions earlier this year.
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