The Chinese 25th Antarctic expedition team on Wednesday marched into the mild zone of the South Pole icecap, 343 kilometers from the Zhongshan Station.

After traveling 94 kilometers on Wednesday at 2,400 meters above the sea level, the 28-member team reached a relatively mild area, said team leader Li Yuansheng.

Trekking through the mild zone stretching over 500 kilometers would not be harsh, deputy team leader Qin Weijia said, because there would be no drastic sea level change and because the load would lighten as fuel is consumed along the way.

The 1,300-kilometer journey from the station to the Dome Argus (Dome A) zone, the highest icecap on the South Pole, was scheduled to take 20 days starting from Dec. 18.

The team was to set up Kunlun, China's first inland Antarctic research station.

Despite losing two vehicles to malfunctions, the team still has nine vehicles and 42 sleds and all are in good condition.

(Xinhua News Agency December 25, 2008)