page_title: Guo Kun
section_title: First Antarctic expedition and the Great Wall Station
hierarchical_section_title: Guo Kun / First Antarctic expedition and the Great Wall Station
caption_attribution_description: English: Antarctic Great Wall Station Русский: Чанчэн (антарктическая станция)
context_page_description: Guo Kun was a Chinese polar explorer. He led China's first expedition to Antarctica in 1984–1985 and participated in seven Antarctic expeditions in total. He led the construction of China's first two Antarctic bases, the Great Wall Station in 1985 and the Zhongshan Station in 1989, and served as Director of the Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration.
context_section_description: In 1984, China organized its first scientific expedition to Antarctica, and Guo was named the leader of the 591-member expedition team. The team departed Shanghai on 20 November 1984 on two ships, the Xiang Yang Hong 10 and the J121, and arrived at King George Island off the coast of Antarctica on 30 December. A main part of their mission was to construct China's first Antarctic base, the Great Wall Station. As the Xiang Yang Hong 10 was not an icebreaker, the team had to leave before the end of the Antarctic summer and had only a short window of opportunity to complete their mission. Under Guo's supervision, the team worked 16 to 17 hours a day in often severe weather conditions, and completed the construction in only 40 days. The station was opened on 14 February 1985.
  In 2012, the Antarctic Treaty System designated two sites at the Great Wall Station erected by Guo's team as Historic Sites and Monuments in Antarctica:  the station's No. 1 Building and a monolith with the Chinese inscription: "Great Wall Station, First Chinese Antarctic Research Expedition, 20 February 1985".
caption: The Great Wall Station in 2011
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