The first Chinese female astronaut, Liu Yang, captured the country's imagination when she took a trip to space in June and the nation is set to welcome a first female oceanaut in 2013.

China plans to recruit four to six oceanauts next year, and possibly the first female Chinese deep-sea explorer will be among them, as the male-only requirement is being lifted from the selection process, said Liu Feng, commander of the Jiaolong's 7,000-meter dive project.

The requirements for female and male oceanauts are the same and concern physical endurance and psychological strength, said Liu.

The National Deep Sea Center is working on new selection criteria, training program and assessment standards for future oceanauts, Xinhua News Agency quoted Liu Baohua, director of the center, as saying.

For female astronauts, the selection criteria are tough. They must, for instance, be married, for the influence space has on humans is still unknown. However, the marital status of potential female oceanauts will not matter, said Fu Wentao, one of the country's three oceanauts in the 7,000-meter dive project.

Liu Feng said women are often more cautious than men, which can be important in a deep-sea dive.

When a submersible, a vehicle similar to a submarine, reaches 200 meters below sea level, no sunlight can reach it and it becomes totally black outside. A cautious person is needed so they can be aware of any little changes in the dark, Liu Feng said.

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