What country operates the Zhurong Mars rover?

What country operates the Zhurong Mars rover? China. Zhurong is operated by the China National Space Administration as part of the Tianwen-1 Mars mission.

Tianwen-1 was China’s first independent interplanetary mission and combined an orbiter, lander, and rover. The spacecraft launched in July 2020, entered Mars orbit in February 2021, and delivered Zhurong to Utopia Planitia on May 14, 2021. Zhurong then drove onto the surface on May 22, making China the second country to operate a functioning rover on Mars.

The rover was designed for a primary mission of 90 Martian sols, but it continued working for considerably longer, traveling about 1,921 meters before entering hibernation in May 2022. Dust accumulation and harsh winter conditions prevented its expected restart. A frequent confusion is that NASA operates several Mars rovers, including Perseverance and Curiosity; Zhurong is Chinese, while its name refers to a figure associated with fire in Chinese mythology.