Who we are
We are Jean Deville and Blaine Curcio, two mandarin-speaking space enthusiasts with a passion for what's going in the Chinese space landscape (and more generally, space in Asia).
Dongfang Hour is a creative project centered around our YouTube channel, with the aim of providing English-language coverage of the Chinese space program.
China's space program
Awareness of the Chinese space program beyond China is often basic. Reasons include modest coverage in non-Chinese media, Chinese space companies' sporadic PR practices and strained international relations. Yet, to a large extent China's space program is a flourishing enterprise, supported by passionate engineers and scientists who, in a similar way to NASA strive to build stations in outer space, travel to other worlds and establish a human presence beyond low earth orbit.
Space heritage & culture
Fascination with space exploration holds an important place in global pop culture. From Sputnik to the moon landing to the Space Shuttle, our passion for space has evolved with each passing achievement. In contrast with NASA and Roscosmos, Chinese efforts benefit very little from the global space culture phenomenon. While our Dongfang Hour YouTube channel aims to cover all aspects of China's dynamic space program, our store is dedicated to bringing Chinese space into global pop culture while celebrating its rich heritage and future endeavours.
Our Store
Inspired by the diversity of China's flourishing space program, our products celebrate the unique facets of this remarkable undertaking. With each product, we'll explore the iconic hardware, missions and culture of the Chinese space program so that space fans around the world can own a piece of the excitement.