With more people travelling to the Antarctic, environmentalists are worried that tourism will soon destroy one of the last remaining wildernesses on earth. They argue that only scientists should be stepping foot on this unspoiled land. Luckily one such Chinese scientist has recently completed a book on his extended time there, allowing readers to experience the Antarctic without having to venture there themselves.

Li Hang, author of “500 Days in Antarctica”, is a member of the Antarctic expedition team of China. As a PhD in Geodesy (the Earth science of accurately measuring and understanding Earth's geometric shape, orientation in space, and gravitational field) at Wuhan University, he has conducted scientific research in the region for nearly 500 days.

In the book, he tells the lesser-known stories of the devoted researchers and the awe-inspiring beauty in Antarctica. For instance, how did the researchers manage to work and live in such an isolated environment? Why do they need to collect data on sea ice at the risk of their lives? What were the interesting encounters? All these can be answered by Li’s book.

Li is also a photographer who has taken 100,000 photos in the Antarctic. Some of the pictures were published in “Nature” and “Science” and provided to NASA and the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

Recalling his experiences in the Antarctic, Li is still filled with excitement, saying, “The power of nature has touched my heart again and again, which I have no ability to resist. No doubt, it is Antarctica that has shaped me.”