6:10am UK, Friday October 17, 2003

China's small leap forward in space travel has been followed by one giant gaffe.

Astronaut Yang Liwei returned home on Wednesday a national hero after becoming the first Chinese person to enter space.

Yang Liwei dispelled wall myth

But the public, and Communist leaders, were left nonplussed after he told state TV he could not see the Great Wall of China from space.

"Is it true you can see the Great Wall of China from space?" asked a TV interviewer.

"Er, no," he replied, a little embarrassed.

The Chinese have been proud of the fact that legend has it the 2,000-year-old wall is the only man-made object that can be seen from space.

Only it can't, according to Nasa.

They say their astronauts have failed to spot it and Liwei's assertion appears to be the final brick in the wall for the claim.

It is thought the myth may have begun during the early days of the space race.

Liwei, a 38-year-old fighter pilot, orbited the earth 14 times in his short 21-hour stay in space.

China is now only the third county to put a person in space.