China's polar icebreaker, Xuelong?2, also known as Snow Dragon 2, returned to its home port in Shanghai on Monday after a 199-day voyage to Antarctica, officially concluding the country's 42nd expedition to the world's southernmost region.

The expedition began in early November, with the Xuelong and Xuelong 2 icebreakers carrying 550 researchers from 125 domestic and international institutions. The team reached Antarctica later that month.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, researchers braved harsh conditions during the polar journey, including complex ice formations, rough seas, strong winds, and freezing temperatures, to conduct comprehensive surveys on the Antarctic Peninsula and in the Cosmonaut and Amundsen seas. They also carried out construction work, resupply assignments, and personnel transfer tasks.

After completing their work in Antarctica, a group of team members returned to Shanghai in early April with the Xuelong, which traveled 63,000 kilometers. Meanwhile, the Xuelong 2 embarked on a secondary task to investigate Southern Ocean ecosystems. Upon its return, the icebreaker sailed 64,800 km during the months-long voyage.

The ministry stated that the expedition's results will provide strong support for China and the international community to conduct in-depth research on the rapid changes in Antarctica and will help relevant parties effectively respond to global climate change.

As a symbol of China's enhanced capability to explore polar regions, the Xuelong 2 features world-class oceanographic survey and monitoring apparatus that enable experts to measure physical oceanography, biodiversity, and atmospheric and environmental conditions in frigid zones. It is capable of operating in any ocean around the world.

Before its commissioning in July 2019, the nation only operated a single icebreaker, Xuelong, which was designed for cargo transportation rather than scientific research operations when it was built in Ukraine in 1993. Xuelong was purchased by China and converted into a polar research and resupply vessel.