Some members of China's 26th exploration team arrived at the country's Zhongshan Station in eastern Antarctica Sunday.

They were flown there by helicopter from the icebreaker Xuelong (or the Snow Dragon), which was still breaking ice from nearby toward the station, one of three Chinese research stations in Antarctica.

The members arrived there to prepare for unloading stuff from the icebreaker.

After the icebreaker reaches nearer to the station, around 1,000 tons of scientific research equipment, materials and fuels will be unloaded from the ship to the station by helicopter or snowmobile.

Afterwards, 20 members of the expedition team will set out from the station on an over 1,300-km distance journey to reach the peak of Antarctica's inland ice cap, the 4,093-meter-high ice dome A, for scientific exploration.

Meanwhile, 10 members will set off for inland Antarctica's Grove Mountain, which is some 500 km south of the Zhongshan Station, to conduct research.

On October 11, the Xuelong carrying the expedition team left Shanghai for Antarctica.

The Zhongshan Station, founded on February 26, 1989, is located at 69 degrees 22 minutes south latitude and 76 degrees 22 minutes east longitude, following the Great Wall Station as China's second station in Antarctica.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2009)