Shuguang 1

Shuguang 1 was China's first crewed spaceflight program, although it never ended up flying. Started in the late 60s, the Chinese began work on a spacecraft similar to the American Gemini capsule, carrying two astronauts and launching on a Long March 2 rocket. Like the US and Soviets, Chinese astronauts were selected from the ranks of military pilots, some of which gained combat experience shooting down American high-altitude Firebee recon drones. Unfortunately, the program was terminated before training started. Through a series of unfortunate coincidences leading to political paranoia and the government's reluctance to fund the program while the country faced more pressing problems on the ground, the project was canceled in 1972.