The first Chinese person to walk in space returned to Earth yesterday, his feat acclaimed by the Communist Party as a triumph for the nation and proof of its technological prowess.

Zhai Zhigang, commander of the Shenzhou VII (Divine Vessel) spaceship, emerged from the heat-charred craft after 68 hours spent orbiting the globe. After stumbling a few steps, he said: “The mission was glorious and full of challenges but the result was perfect. I feel proud of my country.”

In an unusual display of openness, state television followed the venture almost minute by minute, with presenters nervously chatting through the tense 30 or so minutes when China’s third manned spaceship lost contact with ground control as it re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.

The sigh of relief was palpable when cameras showed the module floating down towards the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, held up by a vast red-and-white striped parachute. One television commentator was breathless with excitement, describing the parachute as the biggest in the world.

For China the achievement marked an important step in its progress from second-rate, poverty-mired backwater to economic giant and global power.

Mr Zhai, 41, an air force colonel whose rags-to-riches story mirrors his country’s own transformation, was the taikonaut chosen after a decade of training to show off China’s technological mastery with a 15-minute spacewalk on Saturday. State-run media and millions of Chinese have been mesmerised by the achievement.

The Beijing Youth Daily paraphrased Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, by declaring: “This is one small step for a man, but one giant leap for the country.”

Mr Zhai and his two fellow taikonauts, also colonels and fighter pilots, tottered slightly as they took their first steps back on Earth. After a 40-minute medical check-up, they clambered over each other so that the commander could be the first to step out. Wen Jiabao, the Prime Minister, was at mission control in Beijing for their return. He shook hands with staff and described the trio as heroes. “The people will remember your historic contributions forever,” he said.

He emphasised that China’s involvement in space was purely for peaceful purposes. The rapidly advancing programme of a country that sent its first man into space in 2003 has raised disquiet among Western governments that it may have military ambitions in space, especially after conducting an antisatellite missile test last year.

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