China's scientific expedition team reached the height of 3,000 meters on the Antarctic Sunday, one day after its arrival at the Changcheng (Great Wall) Station in the west of the continent.

The scientists of the 24th expedition team are in good condition and the vehicles and equipment are working well, Sun Bo, captain of the Chinese team, told Xinhua on phone Monday.

The team reached a place at 3,156 meters above sea level on Sunday, which is 947 km far from the Zhongshan Station, China's second station on the continent, Sun said.

The team, including 91 scientists, left China's eastern coastal city of Shanghai on Nov. 12 aboard the vessel of "Xuelong," or snow dragon. It arrived at the Zhongshan Station in eastern Antarctic on Dec. 11 and headed to Changcheng on Dec. 23.

The vessel came with supplies for Changcheng Station's largest ever renovation. The project includes a 1,000-square-meter building for scientific research, a recreation center for the researchers as well as garbage and sewage treatment facilities.

China launched its first expedition to Antarctica in 1984, with such expeditions conducted on an annual basis since then.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2008)