China's Xuelong (Snow Dragon) vessel, on the country's 26th Antarctic expedition, on Monday crossed the equator and entered the southern hemisphere on their journey to Antarctic.

The expedition team organized a tug-of-war competition which is a traditional activity for navigators to celebrate the special moment together.

On Sunday morning, the Snow Dragon successfully avoided a tropical storm which had already developed into typhoon Lupit. And now she is navigating smoothly in the doldrums.

After nine days navigating in the southern Pacific Ocean, it is expected to arrive on October 28 at New Zealand's Christchurch port, its first supply port.

"We will take bunkering and freshwater during our stay in the harbor and will be bound for the Great Wall Station of China in the southwestern Antarctic region three days later," said Wang Jianzhong, captain of the Snow Dragon.

The expedition team sailed from Shanghai on October 11. A total of251 scientists, workers and logistics staff joined the team for the half-year-long research expedition on the icebreaker.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2009)