HONG KONG -- The geologists at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have received a set of precious research samples, the lunar soil brought back by China's Chang'e 5 mission.

"I was very excited when I learned that we could get the lunar samples to Hong Kong," Qian Yuqi, a postdoctoral fellow from the university's Department of Earth Sciences, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

On Aug 7, the HKU announced that its geologists team obtained approval from the China National Space Administration's Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center to study the lunar soil samples collected by China's Chang'e 5 lunar probe in 2020. This marked the first time that a Hong Kong research team has secured lunar soil samples.

At the press briefing held earlier by the HKU, Qian, who took the lead in applying for the lunar samples, described obtaining lunar soil as a dream that came true for his team and the space science community in Hong Kong.

"I knew this was an opportunity we could not miss for the further development of lunar science at HKU and of even planetary science throughout Hong Kong," he said.