China’s Snow Dragon.docVIP

China’s Snow Dragon 　　By January 7， the Chinese icebreaker Xuelong （Snow Dragon） had been making preparations to free itself for days， warming up its engine and creating an “ice-breaking runway” for itself by sailing back and forth while waiting for a favorable westward wind. The vessel had been trapped since January 3， after its mission to rescue 52 passengers on board a stranded Russian ship. The edge of the massive expanse of ice， had begun to loosen， and some small openings had begun to appear. At 18：30 Beijing time on January 7， Xuelong broke through the ice surrounding it and successfull