Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- With the Shenzhou-9 touching down in China Friday , expect the inevitable wave of propaganda touting its `` model '' citizens and scientific might . And what a mighty week it has been . China has witnessed the return of a manned spacecraft that successfully docked with the Tiangong 1 space lab -- a first for the nation . China is also still on a high after the deep-sea diving record set on Sunday by a Chinese manned submersible in the Pacific Ocean 's Mariana Trench . China hails sea and space exploits . And while China 's achievements in sea and space are impressive , do they stir more than just national pride ? The Shenzhou-9 may be a stellar status symbol for Beijing but is it awakening a real hunger for adventure among the Chinese people ? According to Chinese explorer Wong How Man , the answer is an emphatic yes . `` We 're in space ... not just making cellphones , '' he told CNN . China sends first female astronaut to space . As the President of the China Exploration and Research Society , Wong has been leading expeditions in China since he founded the group in 1986 . In June 2005 , he discovered the new source of the mighty Yangtze River . The veteran explorer said China 's landmark journeys in recent years have shored up not only national pride but an individual desire to venture forth . Chinese space capsule returns to Earth . `` On a grassroots level , there 's this huge urge to explore our own vast country , '' he said . Yunnan native Mei Zhang has seen that curiosity first-hand as the founder of WildChina , a Beijing-based company that offers off-the-beaten-track travel experiences . She claimed a spirit of adventure is very much alive , as traditional values that may have limited exploration take a backseat . Zhang cited one traditional Chinese saying in particular : `` Fu mu zai , bu yuan xing , '' or -- roughly translated -- `` When your parents are around , do n't travel far away . '' `` The first virtue was to be `` xiao , '' or filial to your parents , '' said Zhang . `` And that held back a lot of people and they stayed home . But with the internet , young people now see the world and say , 'Wow ... why ca n't I do that ? ' '' She pointed to Chinese polar explorer Yuan Xiao as the ultimate `` unfilial '' son . Shanghai born and bred , Xiao left a 10-year career in banking to explore the world . He 's one of the first Chinese to have navigated both the North and South Poles -- where he went to climb , ski and even scuba dive . And yet , `` China 's bravest adventurer '' pointed out that he 's not that unique . `` Zheng He , Zhang Qian , and the monk in Journey to the West ... the Chinese have always been adventurous for different reasons , '' he said . `` The spirit has always been there . '' Tales from China 's bravest traveler . And that spirit has been revived again with the return of the Shenzhou-9 . China is embarking on a new age of discovery ... and self-discovery , as more of its citizens consider an adventure far , far away from home .
Shenzhou-9 returns to Earth after successfully docking with the Tiangong 1 space lab . The mission also involved China 's first female astronaut to be sent into space . In recent years a Chinese manned submersible also set a diving record in Earth . Explorer Wong How Man : Missions are awakening a real hunger for adventure in China .