CHINA Report Science and Technology No.79

Read from the scan by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word.

library (a high place) to look at it some more, but we don't know where it flew. The entire period of observation was about 10 minutes, and some pedestrians in the street also stopped to watch it." This example of an observation of a flying object was quite representative. More than 10 examples reported from another nine provinces and municipalities also described flying objects in either exactly the same way or extremely similarly. Among them, two examples also reported these objects as having flown into a cloud, illuminating the entire cloud in an extremely magnificent sight.

At 1800 hours on 9 September 1976, Hu Suisheng [5170 6659 3932] and some comrades from the No 2 Chemical Plant in Jiangxi Province were listening to a broadcast at the main entrance to his home on Huancheng Xilu, Yichun City, Jiangxi Province. Suddenly they looked up to see a silvery flying object in the air at a 60 degree angle of elevation that was shaped like a pair of cymbals connected together and revolving on its vertical axis perpendicular to the lower line of the setting sun. It constantly spurted out a silvery vapor, and it was at an elevation of approximately somewhat more than 2,000 meters. It flew at a fairly rapid speed from the east toward the northwest and disappeared in a distant mountain valley. The period of observation totalled 5 minutes. There were many witnesses in the streets at the time, and everyone discussed the event excitedly but without being able to explain it.

At 2130 hours on 9 September 1979, Shao Shengnan [5135 3932 0589], and Shen Ziran [3088 5261 3544], technicians at the People's Dayuan Farm in Jianli County, Hubei Province sighted a round flying object in the southwestern sky at a 70 degree angle of elevation. It was emitting a red and yellow ray of light and the forward part of it was circled with blue. Its brightness was about that of a 1 or 2 star; its visual diameter was about 30'; it trailed an awl-shaped tail, its length was four times the diameter of its round head; and its height was estimated at 1,000 to 2,000 meters. It flew rapidly and soundlessly from the northeast toward the southwest. They immediately called two people out to take a look at it. When they saw it only at about a 15 degree angle of elevation, suddenly it changed to a right angle and slowed speed, and then at an included angle of about 10 degrees to the horizon, it changed flight direction to fly toward the southeastern horizon where trees blocked the view and it disappeared. The period of observation was about 1 minute.

At 2140 hours on 9 September 1979, an outdoor movie was being shown at the Hunan Diesel Engine Plant at Zhangmuqiao, Changde County, Hunan Province when suddenly a commotion broke out in the audience, which frantically turned their heads to look upward at the sky in amazement. Lo Xuezhi [5012 1331 4249], a functionary in the plant's political department turned his head to look, seeing an object in the sky to the west at about 1,500 meters. It was oval shaped in appearance and emitted a powerful red and yellow light that was brighter than the full moon. The head of the object was orange-red, and it trailed a bright tail which seemed to be emitting a gas. It flew silently and parallel to the ground from the north toward the south-west, disappearing after 3 minutes. Lo Xuezhih used the 2.5 power binoculars he was carrying at the time to examine the object carefully, and wrote an exhaustive report. Changde County is 145 kilometers from Jianli County. On that night, the sky was clear and cloudless. This object might possibly have been the same object as the object in the example next above. If so, it may be inferred that its flying