China's first aircraft carrier setting sail

A milestone in China's naval history - The hanging flags are a characteristic naval tradition, to welcome any new member of the People's Liberation Army.

At around 300 meters long, and 70 meters wide, it's a veritable giant of the sea. There are 10 levels beneath the main deck while the structures above deck tower at 9 storeys high.

And when she's afloat, the Liaoning displaces an impressive 50, 000 tons of water. Though there's no shipboard aircraft on deck at the moment, the ship is well equipped for when they arrive.

There are three possible ways of taking-off from the Liaoning -- the ejection takeoff, the ski-jump takeoff, and the vertical takeoff.

Snr. Colonel Zhang Zheng, commander of the Liaoning, said, "I feel a great honor to be the commander of the Liaoning. As China's first aircraft carrier, there's much pressure as well as challenges of technique and management. There is a huge system behind the ship, and it'll take time for us to adapt to this new system. At the same time, we need to learn from it and innovate from our own side."

The thousand-plus personnel who'll sail on-board all have relevant professional knowledge and rich past experience.

And it's not an exclusively male environment.

Mei Wen, political commissar of the Liaoning, said, "This is the first time we've had female crew members on board a combat vessel. I think female crew members have lots of advantages. For example, they're often more careful than male staff. About five-percent of our total crew is female. Many have served in professional positions higher than the communication and service sectors. We've established a special living area for female staff. There won't be any inconvenience for them, living on board."

The Liaoning could even be described as a home-from-home on the sea. The ship has its own canteens, its own supermarket, post office, gym and even entertainment venues.