Researchers, engineers and technicians at the Jiuquan launch site in north-west China are rising at 6:00am and working until midnight, stopping only for meals, while the rest of the country enjoys a week-long national holiday.

The space workers downed tools only briefly on national day on October 1 to sing the national anthem and raise the Chinese flag, according to Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Takungpao daily, monitored here.

They also "swore an oath to realise the ancient dream of the Chinese nation to fly to the heavens", the newspaper said.

No date has been announced for the space flight but another Hong Kong daily, the Wen Wei Po, this week cited sources close to the project as saying that Shenzhou V would be launched "right after" a meeting of China's top brass, which concludes on October 14.

They also said it would be a morning launch.

SPACE.WIRE