Photo: Screenshot from website

A video posted on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, on Tuesday showcasing a toy bear's journey to near-space on a balloon has gone viral on Chinese social media. Many viewers are impressed by the spirit of the creator.

In the video, a toy bear embarks on the journey from the coastal city of Ningbo, traversing mountainous regions and crossing rivers to reach the border between Fuxin, Liaoning, and Tongliao, Inner Mongolia. After undergoing a series of preliminary preparations, including weight measurement, temperature checks, and equipment adjustments, the bear ascends into the sky, tethered to a helium balloon. The bear passes through the clouds and reaches an altitude of about 28,000 meters (91,800 feet), where the Earth's blue halo is visible. As of Wednesday night, this video has garnered more than 500,000 likes and 40,000 comments in just two days.

The video was made by Li Zhenghan from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), which is located in East China's Zhejiang Province, along with his project team, senior students from UNNC's Faculty of Science and Engineering.

"I have had a dream of aerospace since I was a child. Unfortunately, I didn't pass the final medical examination for pilot training in high school and couldn't become an air force pilot. But I still wanted to see the scenery in the sky," Li told the local newspaper Zhejiang Daily.

According to Li, he got the idea of sending a bear to space after seeing similar experiments online. However, due to a lack of relevant knowledge, the then-fresh college student had no idea how to get started. After four years of studying, Li felt ready to try the cool project with his teammate Wang Zechen. They chose the bear as their mascot to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their university, which is the first Sino-foreign university in China.

The team spent two months preparing for the experiment, using the university's labs and equipment. They decided to launch the balloon from Li's hometown in northeastern China, where the terrain and weather were more suitable. Behind the scenes of the video, things were not as smooth as they appeared. Just five hours before the launch, a power supply port on the equipment burned out, and a series of unfortunate events followed: problems with the cooling fan wiring, unexpected detection of high-altitude westward winds, and multiple tire blowouts along the route. 

Despite setbacks, their determination prevailed, and the project ultimately took flight after the National Day holiday. The bear landed in a rice field 26 minutes after reaching its peak height.

Global Times