The Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology broadcast China’s marine scientific expeditions in real time on Sept 17, as an effort to popularize marine science.

A total of four Chinese oceanographic research ships Xiangyanghong 1, Kexue, Dongfanghong 2, and Haiyang 6, appeared in the live streaming, which attracted 86 million viewers on the day, available on online portals such as China Science Communication website and Tencent’s live streaming platform.

Xiangyanghong 1 was in operation at Indian Ocean, Dongfanghong 2 at Bohai Sea, Haiyang 6 at Western Pacific, and Kexue at South China Sea, when the video links were set up. The four areas are vital to China’s marine resources development.

Young students of Qingdao watched the live streaming at the laboratory, and learned marine science knowledge through prepared video content and virtual reality devices.

The live streaming was made possible thanks to the scientific research ship sharing platform developed by the laboratory. As of late, more than 20 ships have been included in the sharing system to meet the scientific research needs in various disciplines.