'Taikonaut' Gets Cool Hong Kong Welcome By MIN LEE
Friday, October 31, 2003; 10:26 PM

A preselected crowd of flag-waving youngsters greeted China's first astronaut Friday in Hong Kong, but many in this territory have been less than awed by Lt. Col. Yang Liwei's trip through space.

But nine hours later:

Hong Kong Treats Chinese Astronaut As Hero By MIN LEE
Saturday, November 1, 2003; 8:41 AM

HONG KONG - Yang Liwei sang a duet with action star Jackie Chan as Hong Kong lavished a superstar's welcome on China's first astronaut Saturday - a visit derided by critics as a veiled attempt by Beijing to boost the troubled government in this former British colony.

So what's the story?