BEIJING, Nov.7 (Xinhuanet) -- China is holding a high-profile rally at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Friday morning to celebrate the country's first manned spaceflight, which made it the third spacefaring country after Russia and the United States.

    The rally was jointly organized by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

    China launched its Shenzhou-5 manned spacecraft, with astronaut Yang Liwei aboard, on Oct. 15 from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centerin Gansu Province, northwest China.

    Yang and his spacecraft orbited the Earth for 14 times before safely landing in north China the next day.

    The successful launch and return of the spacecraft marks the initial success of the country's manned space program launched in 1992. Enditem