10 Yuan First Chinese Astronaut Space Walk

China's first spacewalk occurred on September 27, 2008, when Zhai Zhigang exited the Shenzhou VII capsule for approximately 22 minutes — making China only the third nation to achieve an extravehicular activity, after the Soviet Union and the United States. The mission was politically timed with considerable care, coming just weeks after the Beijing Olympics closed.

Struck in the same year as the event itself, this is a same-year commemorative rather than a retrospective issue — a distinction that matters for the series collector. KM#1734 is part of a paired release alongside a gold issue.