Probably the most commonly used term for
Chinese astronauts. According to Chen Lan, owner of the now dormant Chinese space website
Go Taikonauts!, he came up with the term 'taikonaut' in 1998. At around the same time, it began appearing in postings to
internet message boards. Chen named his site
Go Taikonauts! in order to further promote the use of the word as the Chinese equivalent to
astronaut and
cosmonaut. You can visit Chen's site at:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/1921/index.htm Although no longer updated, it is still an interesting read.
Assuming that 'taikonaut' really was coined spontaneously on the internet (I have seen some claims that it was first used by journalists), it has been wildly succesful. Press articles frequently use the term, as do internet posters from around the world. I have been told that official PRC government documents use a different, purely Mandarin Chinese term. Since I don't speak Chinese I will leave it to others to comment on the use of 'taikonaut' within China itself. If the Chinese government is as serious as it claims to be about space exploration, I imagine we will soon discover whether taikonaut will join astronaut and cosmonaut in our space lexicon.