The liftoff was part of a program aimed at putting a Chinese citizen on the Moon by 2020.

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Chang'e I is intended to be the first in a series of missions that will eventually take a Chinese astronaut to the moon.

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In September Michael Griffin, the head of America's space agency, NASA, said he thought the Chinese would get to the moon before America returns.

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"In 2025, don't be surprised if a Chinese flag is placed on the moon, " Mr. Kaku warns.

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Look at the details: the Chinese, it turns out, are sending the moon a robot, not a taikonaut.

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Mooncakes have been the dessert of choice for Chinese families gathering together during the Mid-Autumn Festival to celebrate the Moon Goddess of immortality.

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For example, in 2011's Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Shia LaBeouf wears a T-shirt made by Chinese clothing maker Metersbonwe and, in one scene, a character drinks a carton of Shuhua milk made by dairy group Yili.

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And in one of the coolest art projects we came across this week, Chinese artist Wang Yuyang used thousands of compact fluorescent light bulbs to create a replica of the Moon.

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