"Xuelong 2" - A National Pride! HeyTrip Partners with Travel Bloggers to Explore China's Polar Research Icebreaker

On the morning of April 8th, "Xuelong 2," China's first domestically built polar research icebreaker, arrived in Hong Kong to undertake its 40th Antarctic expedition. This visit marks the beginning of a five-day open day event, from April 8th to April 12th.

This is the "Xuelong 2's" first visit to Hong Kong, and the first visit by a Chinese polar research icebreaker to the city in nearly 20 years since the "Xuelong" docked in 2004.

HeyTrip had the privilege of being invited to the media day event, bringing our signed travel bloggers aboard the "Xuelong 2" for on-site filming. This event provided us with a rare opportunity to witness its grandeur up close and document this iconic scientific endeavor.

Through our lenses and words, we look forward to showcasing the "Xuelong 2's" immense capabilities, advanced technology, and its crucial role in polar exploration to everyone.

"Xuelong 2" This "major national tool" Just how powerful is it? Let's find out together.

~ A Pioneer in Bidirectional Icebreaking The "Xuelong 2" is about 122.5 meters long, with a displacement of nearly 14,000 tons and a maximum width of 22.3 meters. Capable of traveling 20,000 nautical miles at 12 knots per hour, it can cover a distance nearly twice that from the South Pole to the North Pole, enough to circumnavigate the globe.

The "Xuelong 2" is China’s first domestically built icebreaker capable of bidirectional breaking through 20-meter ice ridges and 1.5-meter thick ice layers, truly a powerful representation of national capability. ~ Accomplishing Multiple Tasks in Polar Regions The icebreaker is massive, consisting of five decks each with its own highlights for visitors including the ocean sampling room, laboratories, data management library, captain’s quarters, and a helipad.

Launched in 2019, the "Xuelong 2" has since completed multiple tasks in polar regions, including its first passage through the North Pole last year, gathering extensive meteorological, sea ice, and other navigational environmental data. ~ Watertight Compartment Shipbuilding Craftsmanship From bow to stern, "Xuelong 2" is divided by nine watertight bulkheads into ten separate compartments, allowing it to navigate safely and stably through both poles. The craftsmanship of the watertight compartments ensures that even if one compartment is breached, it does not affect the others, facilitating cargo management, reducing damage, and enhancing the safety and stability of the ship. This shipbuilding technique is a remarkable achievement in Chinese traditional shipbuilding and a national intangible cultural heritage.