In the remote Ross Sea of ​​Antarctica, a group of builders from China are working hard to build my country's fifth Antarctic scientific research station. Today we follow the Antarctic team reporters from the main station to see what happened there.

　　January in Antarctica is the best season of the year, and it is also the golden window period for construction. In order to complete the construction of the new station before the Antarctic winter comes in February, everyone is working hard to speed up the progress of the project. Just when the project was progressing smoothly, a hurricane was brewing.

　　Jiang Hanlin, a new member of China’s 40th Antarctic Expedition: In the next two days, the maximum wind speed can reach more than 35 meters per second, which is equivalent to a Category 12 hurricane.

　　Level 12, this will be the strongest wind encountered since the new station started construction. The new station at this time is a critical period for the installation of curtain wall panels, which is a barrier against strong winds.

　　The result of not sealing may cause the installed curtain wall panels to be blown away, and all previous efforts will be wasted. Full sealing will take at least 3 days, but the time window left for everyone is only 10 hours.

　　The expedition team immediately communicated with the Polar Center, National Ocean Forecast Center, design institutes, wind tunnel laboratories and other units, and finally decided to urgently close the windward side of the new station, and a surprise battle against time began.

　　There are four working surfaces that need to be closed by surprise. Among them, the central area of ​​Area B has the largest windward area and the most special-shaped boards, making it the hardest nut to crack.

　　The construction site is in full swing, but the outdoor temperature is extremely low, snowflakes are still floating in the sky, and the katabatic wind blowing from the Antarctic interior is like coming from the freezer of a refrigerator.

　　Qin Chuan is responsible for high-altitude installation operations. Every time he fixes the curtain wall panels, he has to take off his gloves and put on the nuts. This process only takes a few dozen seconds.

　　Reporter: Do you have to tighten this screw by hand?

　　Construction team member Qin Chuan: The screw is too small. My hands are numb and I can’t tighten the screw at all. In Antarctica, it’s a lie that it’s not cold.

　　Reporter: Is this your first time doing homework in such a cold weather?

　　Construction team member Qin Chuan: Definitely, there is no such bad weather in China.

　　The front was sprinting with all its strength, and the rear was not idle either. In order to give everyone enough strength, the kitchen carefully prepared meals.

　　Construction team member Hou Junjie: This project is here, let’s do it! Gotta bring glory to the country.

　　Construction team member Xie Shuaishuai: I like challenges!

　　Reporter: What time did you work until today?

　　Construction team member Kuang Fang Bing: I have been working until the weather is bad today, trying to catch the weather.

　　After a short meal time, everyone rushed to the project site again.

　　At 7 o'clock in the evening, the sun is still shining brightly in Antarctica, but the fast-moving wind and snow on the ground indicate that strong winds are coming.

　　At ten o'clock in the evening, the wind speed reached level 6, and most of the construction work had been completed.

　　Reporter: Are you done?

　　Construction team member: It’s almost done. I really don’t dare to do it because the wind is too strong. The lashings are also fixed and can be seen from the outside.

　　Reporter: I have to go up and take some pictures.

　　Construction Crew: Give you the gloves.

　　Reporter: No need.

　　Construction team member: Don’t your hands freeze? Goodbye, windy!

　　At the construction site, there are still more than 40 builders who have not left, and they are about to face greater challenges.

　　On the windward side of Area B, there are still three panels that have not had time to be installed. If you continue to install it, there will be risks when working in strong winds. However, if it is left empty and not installed, a large negative pressure area will be formed in this location, and there is a possibility that the installed wall panels will be blown away, making the risk even greater. More than 40 builders were divided into five teams and used traction ropes to control the trajectory of the curtain wall panels.

　　The curtain wall panels weighing more than 800 kilograms were like leaves floating in the air under the influence of strong winds, which was very difficult to control. At this time, the wind force on site had increased to level 8, and the temperature dropped sharply.

　　CCTV reporter Li Ning: I can’t hold the camera anymore! My hands were frozen.

　　Forty minutes later, with the cooperation of all the team members on site, the first board was finally firmly in place. Then came the second and third pieces. Although they had been fighting in the wind and snow for more than ten hours, everyone still had smiles on their faces.

　　Reporter: Is it cold?

　　Construction team member: It’s not cold, but the wind is strong.

　　Reporter: Give yourself a thumbs up.

　　Construction team member: It’s finished. Finally, these three boards have been installed.

　　Construction team member: The most difficult thing is Antarctica.

　　At 12:30 in the morning, the last board was finally installed successfully, and the windward side of the new station was fully enclosed.

　　Xie Shuaishuai, who has been working at high altitudes, has also returned to the ground. This young man who likes challenges is still confident.

　　Reporter: How do you feel?

　　Construction team member Xie Shuaishuai: I feel very good!

　　Reporter: You have challenged yourself. Is this difficult enough?

　　Construction team member Xie Shuaishuai: The difficulty is not bad, just a little bit worse.

　　Just a few hours after all construction work was completed, a Category 12 hurricane came! The hurricane with a speed of 120 kilometers per hour carried the snow on the ground and raised fog all over the sky, with visibility less than 5 meters.

　　Thanks to timely closure measures, everything was normal inside the new station amid the roaring hurricane. In order to complete the construction tasks as planned, internal construction resumed during the Category 12 hurricane. The builders lined up in a row and pulled a rope to and from the construction site and the dormitory.

　　The hurricane that lasted for three days finally stopped. After 72 hours of continuous hurricane impact, the new station is still standing unscathed in the Ross Sea, Antarctica!

　　(CCTV reporter Wang Yan, Cui Xia, Li Ning, Tao Jiashu and Wu Tianbai)