About the interviewees

Lin Hao, 60, is a first-level inspector of the Guizhou Science and Technology Department. He graduated from Donghua University in Shanghai in 1983. In 1984, he was hired by the provincial science and technology department, rising to deputy director in 2014. He left the post in May 2021. He is now vice-chairman of the Guizhou committee of the China National Democratic Construction Association.

Jiang Peng, 44, is a researcher and doctoral adviser for the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He focuses on radio astronomy technology and is currently chief engineer of FAST. He is in charge of the operation and maintenance of the telescope. He has published more than 50 papers and holds about 30 patents.