Huang Yan

Huang Yan was born in China; her exact year of birth is not publicly known. Her family background and work history are closely linked to the Luoyang Copper Processing Group. Both she and her husband, Chen Shulin, worked for the group's Materials Allocation Co., Ltd. until retiring. The couple has two children.

Their elder son, Chen Dong, is an astronaut with the People's Liberation Army Astronaut Corps. According to public information, Chen Dong has taken part in multiple Chinese space missions, including Shenzhou-11 and Shenzhou-14, and was planned to participate in the Shenzhou-20 mission in 2025. After the successful launch of Shenzhou-14, Huang Yan sent Chen Dong a congratulatory text, stressing that “successfully completing this mission is the task assigned by the whole nation.” She follows a “report good news, not bad news” communication style and mainly keeps in touch with her children by text message. She attended a space mission viewing for the first time in 2016; she learned that Chen Dong had been selected for the Shenzhou-11 crew while doing square dancing in a park, demonstrating her interest in and support for the space program.

Huang Yan also has a public presence; she pays attention to her children’s growth and education and has said that Chen Dong served as class monitor from elementary school through university, showing an independent character. In 2019, for health reasons she had Chen Dong arrange a new home for her to improve her living conditions.

Her family has been described externally as a model of support for the space program. During preparations for the Shenzhou-20 mission, Huang Yan planned to watch the launch live on television on April 24, 2025, to witness Chen Dong’s third mission as mission commander. Her actions and family support have been portrayed by media as an example of a mother who quietly supports the space program.

At present, no other personal information about Huang Yan has been publicly disclosed.