On February 7, China's fifth scientific outpost in the Antarctic, Qinling Station, was officially opened and put into operation. Constructed by China Railway Construction Engineering Group, a subsidiary of China Railway Engineering Co., Ltd., Qinling station is the third Chinese research base in Antarctica able to operate all year, and the first one established in the new era. It is the first research base facing the Pacific, with a construction area of 5,244 square meters. The main building is designed in the shape of a Southern Cross, inspired by the navigation tool used by the Chinese navigator Zheng He during his voyages to the West.
