Qin Dahe is head of the Chinese National Meteorological
Administration and a doctor of geology. In 1989 he went to the
Antarctic with an international scientific research expedition and
became the first Chinese person to reach the South Pole on foot.
Qin Dahe was one of the generation that finished school at the
beginning of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and so did not
have the opportunity for further study. But he never gave up his
pursuit of scientific knowledge.
To
prepare for his adventure to the Antarctic he had ten teeth pulled
out just so they couldn't cause a problem on the expedition.
In
1997 and again in 2000, he went to Mount Qomolangma to conduct
scientific research and he did this despite having nearly died
there in 1993.
An
experienced scientist, Qin has been appointed head of the National
Meteorological Administration, a role that represents a very
different new path for this adventurer to follow.
Zeng Tao who is producer and anchor of Beijing Television's "Date
of the Century" program recently interviewed Qin Dahe. The
interview is translated here by china.org.cn.
Zeng: Mr. Qin, as a child did you have any idea that you
would go on to become an explorer?
Qin: I remember saying when I was young that I should like
to leave my footprints all around the world.
Zeng: What fired your imagination about exploration?
Qin: I read many foreign works of science fiction such as
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. I think it was my
natural curiosity and interest in nature that led me on the road to
science.
Zeng: It's been said that you had ten teeth pulled out
before you went to North America for training for your chance to go
to the Antarctic. Is that true?
Qin: Yes, but the dentist pull them out. I didn't do it
myself.
Zeng: Didn't you hesitate even a little at that time?
Qin: Medical treatment is not readily available in the
Antarctic. It's very cold there and often impossible to have a fire
or other heating facilities. You acquire all the calories you need
from the food you eat. Wisdom teeth can be a particular danger
because if anything goes wrong with them even slightly you may not
be able to eat properly. For an explorer in the Antarctic not to be
able to eat is life threatening. So I had them pulled out. It's a
necessary procedure for explorers going to the Antarctic in the
winter. Now quite a few of the teeth in my mouth are not the ones
nature gave me.
Zeng: Didn't your hand tremble just a little when you were
signing the papers before setting off for the Antarctic?
Qin: Well I did stop to think. It was a tense moment for all
of us, but the others signed and I signed too.
Zeng: What I wonder most is what on earth motivated you to
go to the Antarctic?
Qin: The Antarctic is a huge continent with its interior
covered by ice and snow. What led to the formation of this
ice-sheet? The secrets of how the earth developed are locked up in
the ice. What can be discovered? These are questions that can only
be answered on the spot through field research, by taking and
analyzing samples and so on. You just can't leave this for others
to do. With our interest in glacier research not only myself but my
colleagues too couldn't let this opportunity pass by.
Zeng: Your family must have been very concerned about your
safety when you were in the Antarctic. Did they talk about their
concerns when you came back?
Qin: There is a popular English saying, "No news is good
news." For family members of scientists doing fieldwork it's always
good news not to get a telephone call. Any news is most likely to
be bad news so if there are no messages it means we are safe.
Zeng: Do you believe that explorers' lives are just the
price that has to paid for scientific survey and exploration?
Qin: Of course that could be said. But we are all using up
our lives every day whatever we are doing, aren't we?
Zeng: Later you went to Mount Qomolangma to conduct a
scientific survey. Did you have any life threatening moments
there?
Qin: Yes once but fortunately I came back to life.
Zeng: You must think you were extremely lucky?
Qin: Well not really, it was more good procedure than good
luck.
Wang Wei who was deputy-leader of the team recalls, "Dahe seemed
barely alive. A member of an American mountaineering expedition
advised us to try to keep him semi-conscious, as he might never
come to again if he was allowed to sleep for any length of time. A
student of Qin Dahe slapped Dahe on the face to keep him awake.
Dahe said that he was in pain and asked us to let him sleep. We
told him to hold on, that we were doing our best to save him and
that he would be letting us down if he didn't pull through. We
reminded him of his wife and daughter waiting at home for him. The
pain he was suffering is difficult to imagine. It was his own
strength of character and endurance that saved him in the
end."
Zeng: Are you still scared when you think of that life and
death moment?
Qin: Yes the fear still lingers on, but I did learn lessons
about safety from it. I can tell you that in 1997, I went back to
revisit the place where the accident happened.
Zeng: If you had to go to such places as the Antarctic and
Mount Qomolangma again today, would you still have the same courage
as before?
Qin: In 2000 I went back to Mount Qomolangma a third
time.
Zeng: What are your views on the dangers inherent in your
work?
Qin: Our work is of a dangerous nature. However in the view
of some of my veteran colleagues you can still be completely safe
if you keep a careful lookout for any possible dangers. But if on
the contrary you treat the whole thing lightly, you will be
completely unsafe. In retrospect it has occurred to me that the
real reason for my accident is that I lowered my guard on some
small points of detail. Because I stayed alert at all times on my
return visits in 1997 and 2000, I was quite safe even though I was
older than on my first visit in 1993. The priorities have to be
meticulous planning and avoiding any moments of carelessness.
Zeng: Has becoming head of the National Meteorological
Administration changed your approach to life?
Qin: I now feel that I have 80,000 people in the field of
meteorology watching me. I know I must take my work most seriously
and try to make sure everything runs without a hitch. I am
determined to do my best to deliver what I promised.
(china.org.cn, translated by Zhang Tingting, October 6, 2002)