China Report: Science and Technology, No. 79

This document, a 1981 China Report from the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, provides a translation of a 1980 article from the Chinese journal Ziran Zazhi (Nature Journal) titled 'Preliminary Survey of Unidentified Aerial Phenomena in China' by Cha Leping and Lin Hongjing. The report details the growing awareness of UFO phenomena in China, noting that while such reports were virtually unheard of prior to 1978, by 1980, hundreds of eyewitness accounts had been collected. The authors categorize these sightings into three types: disk or globe-shaped objects, large long objects, and spiral nebula-shaped objects. The document provides detailed accounts of specific sightings occurring between 1965 and 1979, involving students, factory workers, technicians, and observatory staff. These accounts describe objects with varying colors, speeds, and behaviors, including silent flight, rapid acceleration, and sudden changes in direction. The authors emphasize the reliability of these witnesses, who include scientists and pilots, and argue that the phenomena are not merely psychological. They suggest that while some sightings can be attributed to known phenomena like meteorites, balloons, or atmospheric electrical discharges, others remain difficult to explain. The report concludes by calling for a scientific, objective approach to studying these phenomena, rejecting both total dismissal and uncritical acceptance of extraterrestrial hypotheses, and inviting further reports from the public.