Zheng Fenlan, curator of the Shuttle Museum, watches the launch of the carrier rocket onsite. [Photo/Yuhang district]

At 9:08 am on Dec 13, the Kuaizhou-11 Y8 carrier rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, successfully placing multiple payloads into orbit.

Among them were three unusual items from a village museum Baizhang town in Hangzhou's Yuhang district: a cotton seed, a traditional weaving shuttle, and a creative pony figurine.

Representing the Shuttle Museum, China's first rural museum dedicated to weaving shuttles, the items became the first exhibits from a village museum in China to travel into space.

The launch followed three months of preparation. The museum team selected the shuttle from a collection of over 24,000 pieces from 29 countries, refined the pony figurine's design, and carefully protected the cotton seed, symbolizing the origins of textile heritage.

As the rocket soared, museum staff watched live from both the launch site and the village, celebrating a historical moment that bridged rural culture and space exploration.

Each item carries a symbolic meaning. The cotton seed represents the roots of intangible cultural heritage, the shuttle reflects centuries of textile history, and the pony figurine stands for creativity and aspiration.

The milestone highlights a new path toward rural vitalization in Hangzhou, where village museums combine cultural preservation, creative industries, and innovation.

The three items prepared by the museum. [Photo/The Shuttle Museum]