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Great Wall Station 长城站 | |
|---|---|
 Great Wall Station | |
  Great Wall Station Location of Great Wall Station inAntarctica | |
| Coordinates:62°13′01″S58°57′43″W / 62.216838°S 58.961855°W /-62.216838; -58.961855 | |
| Country |  China |
| Location in Antarctica | Fildes Peninsula King George Island |
| Administered by | Polar Research Institute of China |
| Established | 20 February 1985 (1985-02-20) |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
| • Summer | 60 |
| • Winter | 13 |
| UN/LOCODE | AQ GWL |
| Type | All-year round |
| Period | Annual |
| Status | Operational |
| Activities | List
|
| Website | Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration |
TheGreat Wall Station (Chinese: 长城站; pinyin: Chángchéng Zhàn) is the first Chinese research station in Antarctica and opened on 20 February 1985. It lies on the Fildes Peninsula on King George Island, 960 kilometres (600 mi) fromCape Horn. It is sited on ice-free rock, about 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level.[2]
The station is about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) from the ChileanBase Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva. A 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long unpaved road, Zhongzhi Gonglu, provides convenient vehicle access from the station to Frei,Teniente Rodolfo Marsh Martin Airport andBellingshausen Station.[3] The station collaborates with logistical support and sharing of facilities with other nearby stations from Chile, Russia, Uruguay, Korea and Brazil.[4]
In 1984, China organized its first scientific expedition to Antarctica, andGuo Kun was named the leader of the 591-member expedition team. The team departedShanghai on 20 November 1984 on two ships, theXiang Yang Hong 10 and theJ121, and arrived atKing George Island off the coast of Antarctica on 30 December.[5] A main part of their mission was to construct China's first antarctic base, the Great Wall Station. As theXiang Yang Hong 10 was not anicebreaker, the team had to leave before the end of the antarctic summer and had only a short window of opportunity to complete their mission.[5] Under Guo's supervision, the team worked 16 to 17 hours a day in often severe weather conditions, and completed the construction in only 40 days. Construction of the station was completed on 14 February 1985.[5][6]
In summer, the station holds up to 60 people;[1] in winter, 14. The station's No. 1 Building, erected in 1985, lies at the centre of the station and has a total floor area of 175 square metres (1,880 sq ft). It marks the beginning of China's presence in Antarctica and its Antarctic research program.
In 2012, theAntarctic Treaty System designated two sites at the station asHistoric Sites and Monuments in Antarctica following nominations by China: a monolith erected to commemorate the establishment of the station and the station's No.1 Building.[7]
