China's scientific expedition team reached the height of 3,000
meters on the Antarctic on Sunday, one day after its arrival at the
Changcheng (Great Wall) Station in the west of the continent.
The scientists of the 24th expedition team are in good condition
and the vehicles and equipment are working well, Sun Bo, captain of
the Chinese team, told Xinhua on phone Monday.
The team reached a place at 3,156 meters above sea level on
Sunday, which is 947 kilometers far from the Zhongshan station,
China's second station on the continent, Sun said.
The team, including 91 scientists, left China's eastern coastal
city of Shanghai on Nov. 12 aboard the vessel of "Xuelong," or snow
dragon. It arrived at the Zhongshan Station in eastern Antarctic on
December 11 and headed to Changcheng on December 23.
The vessel came with supplies for Changcheng Station's largest
ever renovation. The project includes a 1,000-square-meter building
for scientific research, a recreation center for the researchers as
well as garbage and sewage treatment facilities.
China launched its first expedition to Antarctica in 1984, with
such expeditions conducted on an annual basis since then.
(Xinhua News Agency January 8, 2008)
