BBC World Service. This is Helena Merriman with the inquiry. This week,

what does China want from space? June, the perfect month to visit the island of Hainan.

With its white crescent beaches and tropical rainforest, it's known as the Hawaii of China.

But the skyline is changing. Above the palms, a concrete block, a hundred meters

tall shoots into the sky.

Inside, launch vehicles will be assembled

to send rockets into space.

It's part of China's new space port, now one of the largest in the world.

After six years of construction, costing over 700 million dollars dollars it's finally ready.

Soon the tourists lying on Hainan's beaches will be able to watch China's

largest rocket fire into space. As it arcs into orbit, they might find

themselves asking why China's spending all this money. Or our question this

week, what does China really want from space?

Part 1, Political Capital. political capital. This is Tien Jausia, an English teacher at Nanjing Normal University.

This is Tian Jausia, an English teacher at Nanjing Normal University.

She's an academic, but deep down a romantic.

She's reciting a Chinese legend.

Tien. She's reciting a Chinese legend. It's about the

Shehala quen luen shan d'in' larkhe sheh.

It's about the moon.

In the story, a beautiful woman, Chang'er, drinks the Alexia of immortality.

She flies up to the heavens, leaving her husband Ho-Y ye back on earth.

...