Chen Shulin

Chen Shulin was born in China; his exact birth date and birthplace have not been disclosed. In his youth he failed the military recruitment physical exam twice but always longed for military life. His career was mainly at the Luoyang Copper Processing Plant (later reorganized as Chinalco Copper Luoyang Company), where he handled materials allocation until his retirement.

Family-wise, Chen Shulin has a son named Chen Dong. During the college entrance exam period, although Chen Dong’s visual acuity fell below the 0.1 standard, he was exceptionally admitted to a military academy, and Chen Shulin has consistently supported his career choice. During the Shenzhou-14 mission in 2022, he and his wife Huang Yan watched Chen Dong’s first spacewalk live and expressed confidence in the country’s scientific and technological progress.

At the time of the Shenzhou-20 launch in 2025, Chen Shulin organized relatives and friends to watch Chen Dong’s spaceflight live, publicly showing support for the nation’s aerospace technology development. His family’s role in the space program is also somewhat unique: family members were reported to have kept their astronaut identity secret for more than a decade and did not tell neighbors about Chen Dong’s profession.

As a representative of an astronaut’s family, Chen Shulin has repeatedly emphasized the continuity of the space program in media interviews, and in 2022 he expressed hopes that Chen Dong would participate in the manned lunar-landing program. His family’s story has been seen as an important window into the spirit of China’s space endeavors. During the Shenzhou-20 mission, CCTV also ran a special report detailing his family’s situation.

Key dates include: October 2016, when Chen Shulin gave his first media interview recalling Chen Dong’s upbringing; June 2022, when Chen Shulin commented on his family’s educational philosophy after Chen Dong was selected for the Shenzhou-14 crew; and April 2025, when he was interviewed and commented on Chen Dong’s third time serving as mission commander.

In summary, Chen Shulin’s biographical information covers his early education, career, family support, and his family’s influence in China’s space program, reflecting a sustained concern for and support of the country’s technological development.