China's polar icebreakers open to public visits in eastern port city

An aerial drone photo taken on July 3, 2024 shows China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 berthing at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday. This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)

QINGDAO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Two made-in-China polar icebreakers, Xuelong 2 and Jidi, opened for public viewing on Wednesday in Qingdao, a port city in east China's Shandong Province.

Docked at the Qingdao International Sailing Center, the two ships will be open for public visits until Thursday noon, with an expected attendance of around 3,600 visitors.

The name "Jidi" means "polar region" in Chinese. Jidi is a domestically designed and manufactured new-generation research icebreaker, which was delivered on June 24.

Measuring 89.95 meters in length and 17.8 meters in width, the vessel has a total tonnage of 4,600 tonnes and can break through ice up to 1 meter thick.

Equipped with a wide range of marine survey equipment, Jidi is designed to perform comprehensive observation tasks, including analyzing sea ice, conducting 3D water body studies, carrying out geophysical surveys and atmosphere monitoring.

The Xuelong 2, or "Snow Dragon," is China's first self-developed polar research icebreaker. It is also the world's first ship to use two-way ice-breaking technology, enabling it to break through ice while moving both forward and backward with the assistance of its bow and stern.

The ship participated in China's polar expedition for the first time in 2019 and completed the country's 40th Antarctic expedition in April this year.

An aerial drone photo taken on July 3, 2024 shows China's icebreaker research vessel Jidi berthing at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday.

This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)

This photo taken on July 3, 2024 shows China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 berthing at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday.

This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)

Visitors are pictured on China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province on July 3, 2024. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday.

This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 3, 2024 shows China's icebreaker research vessel Jidi berthing at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday.

This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)

An aerial drone photo taken on July 3, 2024 shows China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 (back) and icebreaker research vessel Jidi (front) berthing at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday.

This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Photo by Zhang Jingang/Xinhua)

Visitors are pictured aboard China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 at the pier of Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province on July 3, 2024. China's icebreaker Xuelong 2 and icebreaker research vessel Jidi were open to public here on Wednesday.

This is also the first time for Jidi, China's independently designed and built icebreaker research vessel, to allow for public visit since its official delivery on June 24 this year.(Xinhua/Cao Jiayue)