Members aboard China's research icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, are experience summer at temperatures persistent at zero degree Celsius in the southern hemisphere on China's 41st Antarctic expedition.
They are also spending many of their first New Year's Day away from home.
Among the Antarctic adventurers is Chen Dongbin, a sailor and drone enthusiast on the research icebreaker Xuelong 2. Still in his twenties, Chen has already taken five voyages to the polar regions and conducted drone operations on the research icebreaker for three to four years.
During the voyage, whenever there is an important event or a special scene, Chen's drone is there to capture it, such as when research icebreaker Xuelong 2 docked with the cargo vessel Yongsheng in the Antarctic.
Pei Jiahao, an engineer aboard Xuelong 2, is another experienced expedition member. His main job is to stay in the lab, use and maintain equipment for the expedition, and to participate in and support the work of oceanographic operations.
Pei is also a passionate photographer and claims many prizes among his over 20,000 photos. From snow-covered mountain to adorable penguins, from arduous task of working on ice to sheets of floating ice, Pei has been recording his work and life through the lens of his camera.
"Many of my friends and family are unable to be on the spot, so I hope to take more beautiful photos and share with them when I get back," said Pei.
There are other ways to document life aboard. Zu Chengdi, assistant chief engineer of Xuelong 2, is a poetry lover. Having participated in 12 Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, he has written nearly 200 poems to record his emotions on each voyage.
In Zu's poems, he describes his busy daily work, joy of reunion with his old colleagues, and feeling of nostalgia.
"I think of them, all the time. It's Chinese tradition, On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones far away. [My daughter] is seven and a half years old this year. I often browse the videos [of her] that I recorded before. After all, I've missed much of her growth," said Zu.
For the crew members, the Antarctic expedition means to be far away from their folks during the New Year's Day and Spring Festival.
"I'm 23. This is my second polar mission this year, and I've been to the Arctica once. I wish our voyage a complete success," said Yang liwei, a system administrator of Xuelong 2.
"Those born in the 1990s and 2000s make up 50 percent of the crew. These young people have now grown into the backbone of our team. We constantly have new talents join our polar missions who have brought a fresh atmosphere to the ship," said Xiao Zhimin, captain of Xuelong 2.
China's 41st Antarctic expedition set sail on Nov 1, 2024, starting a mission expected to last nearly seven months.
During the expedition, researchers will build the supporting infrastructure for the Qinling Station in Antarctica, investigate the impact of climate change on the Antarctic ecosystem, and conduct international research and logistics cooperation.
Chinese icebreaker crew spends New Year in Antarctica
Japanese lawmaker Keiji Furuya's consistent provocations on Taiwan-related issues have severely violated the one-China principle and the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and China's countermeasures is a just act against the "new militarism" ideology, a scholar on China-Japan relations said in Beijing on Tuesday.
China on Monday announced countermeasures against Keiji Furuya, member of Japan's House of Representatives, for his collusion with Taiwan secessionist forces and other egregious moves, said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. The punitive countermeasures against Furuya are a means of deterrence and warning, and China will also take other necessary punitive measures in light of the situation, according to Mao.
Furuya has made a number of sneaky visits to China's Taiwan region, and at a forum there on March 16, he provocatively declared "Japan's determination to protect Taiwan" and even claimed that "changes in Taiwan cannot be allowed to happen."
In an interview with China Central Television on Tuesday, Meng Xiaoxu, a research fellow at the Institute of Japanese Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said Furuya's moves are a direct challenge to established diplomatic norms.
"The speech he made in Taiwan was actually to defend [Japanese Prime Minister Sanae] Takaichi's erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan. He also mentioned the issue of so-called 'military exchanges' between Japan and Taiwan, which apparently goes against the basic consensus on the one-China principle in China-Japan relations," said Meng.
Furuya has served as the chairman of the Japanese Diet Members' Consultative Council with Taiwan since 2018, an organization known for its strong pro-Taiwan secession leanings.
"This council was actually an organization set up in 1973 by some pro-Taiwan elements in Japan after the normalization of China-Japan diplomatic relations in 1972. Its main purpose was to maintain contact with Taiwan secessionists through alternative channels. Especially after Keiji Furuya became its chairman, the frequency and scale of the organization's visits to Taiwan have exceeded historical levels," said Meng.
Furuya is widely regarded as one of Sanae Takaichi's core aides. Last October, he was appointed chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Election Strategy Committee, responsible for election strategy affairs. Throughout his political career, Furuya has also repeatedly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors 14 Class-A World War II criminals.
"Keiji Furuya frequently visits the Yasukuni Shrine, and when he visits the Yasukuni Shrine, he never forgets to mention the Taiwan issue. In fact, he is Takaichi's spokesperson and major promoter on the Taiwan issue. He represents Japan's far-right-wing forces, the idea of 'using Taiwan to contain China' is deeply rooted in his mind. We indeed should take resolute measures to counter it. A major reason for the current downturn in China-Japan relations is Takaichi's erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan, and Japan's current collusion with Taiwan, who not only collude but also make provocations. It is Japan that has deviated from the political foundation of China-Japan relations and continuously provoked China's national interests. The historical revisionism led by the Japanese government is getting rampant throughout the country, leading to the current prevalence of 'new militarism' ideology, which is very dangerous," said Meng.
Chinese scholar justifies countermeasures against Japanese lawmaker
