Spectacular views of Earth from China's space station(1/5)

Photo taken by Chinese astronaut Tang Hongbo shows South Africa, known as the "Rainbow Nation". Both being members of BRICS countries, China and South Africa, together with other BRIC countries, will deepen cooperation in the aerospace field in the future. (Photo courtesy of the China Manned Space Engineering Office)

Today marks the seventh Space Day of China.

Photo taken by Chinese astronaut Liu Boming shows part of the Eurasian continent. On the upper left corner is Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, the fourth-longest lake in the world. Some of the lake's water comes from the Ili River in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In the lower left corner is Lake Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan, which is like the gem of Eurasia. (Photo courtesy of the China Manned Space Engineering Office)

Photo taken by Chinese astronaut, Tang Hongbo, shows lights sparkling below in this sweeping view of Earth. (Photo courtesy of the China Manned Space Engineering Office)

Photo taken by Chinese astronaut Liu Boming shows the phoenix-shaped Lake Van on the Anatolia Plateau. (Photo courtesy of the China Manned Space Engineering Office)

Photo taken by Chinese astronaut Liu Boming shows Iran's Lake Urmia, the second-largest saltwater lake in the world, in rusty-red. With the lake water evaporating quickly in the sizzling summer, the body of water is filled with algae and bacteria that turned it red. (Photo courtesy of the China Manned Space Engineering Office)