China's first homegrown polar icebreaker Xuelong 2 arrives in Hong Kong SAR for 5-day visit

China's first domestically made polar icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, arrived in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for the very first time on Monday for a five-day visit. A ceremony was held to welcome the arrival of the vessel.　

The vessel was accompanied by the country's 40th Antarctic expedition team. It will be open for public visits free of charge between April 9 and 12, and a series of events will be held.　

Xuelong 2 is able to conduct scientific research in areas with high ice density and collect data on hydrology, chemistry as well as ecology. It made its maiden voyage to the Antarctic in 2019 on the country's 36th Antarctic expedition.　

(Reported by Wen Mengxin, Hou Yu;　Edited by Liu Yinghan)