China's Shenzhou 9 spacecraft has returned to Earth, ending a mission that put the country's first woman in space and completed a manned docking test critical to its goal of building a space station by 2020.
The spacecraft's return capsule descended to Earth by parachute and touched down shortly after 3am Irish time in China's northwestern Inner Mongolia region with its three-member crew, including female astronaut Liu Yang.
China has hailed the nearly two-week mission as a technical breakthrough for the country's growing space programme.
The launch, landing and docking exercises with the experimental Tiangong 1 space lab module were broadcast live on state television and met with an outpouring of national pride.
Moments after the capsule landed with a thud in the barren pasture lands, ground crew rushed to open the hatch.
The official Xinhua news agency reported the astronauts as saying: "We have returned, and we feel good."
An hour later, mission commander Jing Haipeng smiled and waved as he emerged from the capsule in his white space suit.
Fellow astronauts Liu Wang and Liu Yang followed to loud applause.
Their mission marked the first time China has transferred astronauts between two orbiting craft, a milestone in an effort to acquire the technological and logistical skills to run a full space station that can house people for long periods.
The three astronauts were whisked to one side, seated in chairs and interviewed by state media.
"We are proud of the motherland," Liu Yang said.
Speaking in Beijing, Premier Wen Jiabao congratulated the crew and welcomed them home.
"Tiangong 1 and Shenzhou 9, in the task of manned rendez-vous and docking, have achieved complete success," Mr Wen said.
"This is another outstanding contribution by the Chinese people to humanity's efforts to explore and use space."
China is far from catching up with the established space superpowers, the US and Russia.
But the Shenzhou 9 marked China's fourth manned space mission since 2003, and comes as budget restraints and shifting priorities have held back US manned space launches.
