Indicates the type of a location. Location Type Defined by CCTVPLUS Indicates the role that a specific instance of a description takes among all descriptions. Description Role Defined by CCTVPLUS The role in the overall content stream. Part Role Indicates a kind of content rendition. Content Rendition Defined by CCTVPLUS CCTV Newscontent Co.,Ltd. CCTV Newscontent Co.,Ltd. All Rights Reserved. No access Chinese mainland CCTV Newscontent www.cctvplus.com +86-10-83949886 +86-10-63978447 contact@cctvplus.com 2026-11-07T16:12:21Z 2026-11-07T16:12:21Z 2026-11-07 2014-11-06T09:22:45Z China Central Television China Science/Other Nov 7, 2026/Recent/File China-Antarctic Expedition China kicks off 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition China held a departure ceremony in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on Saturday to mark the start of its 43rd Antarctic scientific expedition. Organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources, the mission will upgrade China's polar research stations and logistics network and carry out comprehensive multidisciplinary surveys and monitoring in Antarctica. It will also pursue priority research at the frontiers of polar science, test and apply domestically developed equipment, and deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in science and logistics support. The expedition is supported by the icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2, along with another vessel. More than 600 team members from over 100 domestic institutions are participating, and the team is expected to return to China in April 2027 after completing its tasks. Over the past five years, China's Antarctic expeditions have made significant progress on multiple fronts including infrastructure development, independent research and development of scientific research equipment, polar scientific research, and participation in global polar governance. The Qinling Station, the country's fifth research station in the continent which stands tall on the ice sheet, derives as much as 60 percent of its energy from clean sources, fully embodying China's "green expedition" initiative. The Zhongshan Station airport -- completed in 2022 and put into operation in 2023 -- ended China's reliance on foreign runways for Antarctic expeditions, enhancing the country's capabilities in comprehensive Antarctic scientific research, international cooperation, and polar emergency response. The successful testing of domestically developed polar-orbiting satellite communications has broken the long-standing reliance on foreign satellite services, and the independently developed and manufactured Snow Leopard 6×6 wheeled vehicle has been put into service, filling the gap in China's high-speed polar mobility vehicles and significantly enhancing the capabilities for rapid personnel transport, scientific research support, and emergency rescue. "We have set a new world record for polar hot-water drilling, and led multi-country autumn and winter joint surveys in the Ross Sea and Prydz Bay of Antarctica. China also ranks first globally in both the quantity and quality of published Antarctic research papers," said Long Wei, deputy director of the Polar Expedition Office under the State Oceanic Administration. Currently, China has initially put in place a comprehensive Antarctic survey and monitoring system with full-season and full-region coverage, supported by coordinated land, sea and air observation. The system has removed past constraints of single-season, localized and single-site observations. It enables all-weather, integrated monitoring of multiple variables such as the Antarctic ice sheet, atmosphere, ocean, biology and geology, and supplies data for evaluating polar climate change, analyzing Southern Ocean ecological evolution and advancing targeted scientific research. Antarctic place names serve as a direct reflection of polar research capability and governance influence. So far, 411 names proposed by China have been included by the relevant international organization, marking a significant enhancement of China's research capacity and governance voice in Antarctic geographical naming. "These endeavors help advance comprehensive knowledge of Antarctic environmental elements and build a solid basis for understanding how Antarctic and global climate change interact," said Long. Chinese/Nats/Part Mute FILE: Antarctica - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Various of icebreakers sailing 2. Aerial shot of Qinling Station 3. Chinese expedition team members adjusting solar panel 4. Qinling Station 5. Various of Zhongshan Station, memorial stone, surrounding environment FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 6. Scale model of satellite 7. Various of graphic showing polar-orbiting satellite FILE: Antarctica - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 8. Various of China's self-developed Snow Leopard 6×6 wheeled vehicle China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Long Wei, deputy director, Polar Expedition Office, State Oceanic Administration (partially overlaid with shots 10-11): "We have set a new world record for polar hot-water drilling, and led multi-country autumn and winter joint surveys in the Ross Sea and Prydz Bay of Antarctica. China also ranks first globally in both the quantity and quality of published Antarctic research papers." FILE: Antarctica - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 10. Expedition team members drilling on ice 11. Various of icebreaker sailing ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 12. Aerial shot of China's Kunlun Station 13. Aerial shot of China's Great Wall Station 14. Expedition team members walking 15. Aerial shot of Qinling Station 16. Flag-raising ceremony in progress at Great Wall Station 17. Great Wall Station Monolith China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 18. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Long Wei, deputy director, Polar Expedition Office, State Oceanic Administration (ending with shot 19): "These endeavors help advance comprehensive knowledge of Antarctic environmental elements and build a solid basis for understanding how Antarctic and global climate change interact." FILE: Antarctica - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 19. Various of icebreaker sailing 20. Various of deep snow 21. Icebreaker sailing 22. Antarctica landscape