On the 28th day of the journey to Antarctica, Shao Zifeng finally saw land once again.
Standing on the narrow front deck, clad in short sleeves and enjoying the summer breeze of the southern hemisphere, Shao Zifeng felt a longing for land for the first time as he gazed at the horizon.
Not far away was the journey's midway point, Christchurch.
Known also as the Garden City, Christchurch is located on the east coast of the South Island and is one of the five gateways to Antarctica; it was from the port of Lyttelton in Christchurch that humans first set off to set foot on Antarctica.
For research vessels from various countries, this is a stopover on their Antarctic expedition, where the Xuelong was to replenish fuel and supplies.
It was a pity that, even though one could already see the South Island emerging above the sea level, it would still take nearly a day to arrive.
"Zifeng junior, come help out."
