For the Chinese, 2008 is an unforgettable year.
　　The country experienced historical events such as record-setting snow storms in south and central China, a disastrous earthquake which killed tens of thousands and of course there were the Beijing Olympics and China's first space walk. It wasn't just events that made 2008 memorable. People, be they respected experts in a certain area or controversial figures, also have their images deeply-rooted in the minds of Chinese. Xinhua's top ten most memorable faces of 2008 are:

　　-- Zhai Zhigang
　　It was a small step by Zhai Zhigang, but when China's first taikonaut walked in space, he solidified the country's place in scientific history.
　　On Sept. 27, millions of Chinese watched his maiden 20-minute space walk on TV. The feat made China the third country in the world to successfully send a man on a spacewalk, after Russia and the United States.
　　When Zhai popped out of the space craft in a Chinese-designed space suit, the 42-year-old became a national hero.
　　The son of a snack vendor, Zhai dreamt of flying in space as an impoverished teenager. He was selected as the backup taikonaut for China's first manned spaceflight in 2003 and then again for the second mission in 2005. He missed out on both.
　　Through perseverance, Zhai presented the world with a face of courage that was out of this world.