Women Blooming in Antarctica

"I want the freedom to be myself, and the courage to dare to be myself."

Lin Yutang

Another Women's Day has arrived, with the fragrance of flowers along the path. The spring breeze, like silk, brushes over hearts that are both gentle and strong. We, a group of bold, independent and distinctive women, came from all corners of China and met in Antarctica by different routes, forming a deep and unforgettable bond.

On this day last year, I wrote a Women's Day declaration: "A flower can make the world pause for a moment." It delighted many women with character and charm. Today, in a more spirited and joyful mood, I want to write down some of the stories of our group of women who bravely traveled to Antarctica, and share them with friends.

Before departure, I had worried for a while. This was the southernmost end of the world, the price was not low, the timing fell during Lunar New Year, a festival that Chinese people value deeply, and the expedition process could carry unpredictable risks at any moment. With so many factors combined, finding a companion was indeed not easy. Sure enough, after asking around, I not only failed to find someone to travel with, but was also discouraged by several friends who could not understand my decision. So I made up my mind: I would go alone.

Only shortly before departure, when I saw the final group list from the organizer, did I realize that I would not be alone. I was not the only woman traveling to Antarctica on my own, and my heart immediately relaxed.

After arriving in Antarctica, I found that our group included two elder sisters aged 70 and 73. Out of curiosity, and even more out of admiration, I learned their stories.

Sister Yang from Heilongjiang, 73 years old, said: "In November 1984, China's Antarctic expedition team sailed to Antarctica for the first time aboard Xiangyanghong 10. In February 1985, China's first Antarctic research station, Great Wall Station, was completed on King George Island. That year I had just turned 30. I dreamed that one day I would go to Antarctica and see China's Great Wall Station. Forty years passed in a flash, and the dream of youth has finally come true in my later years."

Listening to her, my heart was full of emotion. Before Sister Yang, my own act of leaving ordinary life behind felt small by comparison.

Sister Zhang, a 70-year-old fellow traveler from Zhejiang, spoke with directness: "I mainly came for our Great Wall Station. I simply wanted to come out and see the world while my arms and legs still work. It is also a birthday gift to myself."

Now, with her dream in her heart and relying on her own strong will and perseverance, Sister Zhang had finally fulfilled it.

What was especially interesting was this: when her husband learned that she had decided to go to Antarctica alone, he asked quietly, "If you go to Antarctica for so long, what am I supposed to do?" Sister Zhang gave him four firm words in reply: "Learn to be alone."

Yes, learn to be alone. What a direct and powerful phrase. I have always believed that this lesson, learning to be alone in the later years of life, is one all of us gradually entering old age must face.

When we reached Antarctica and the organizer held the first shipboard welcome meeting, I was almost stunned. The tour leaders were all women. The only young man, Liu Yihuang of the penguin team, had come as a replacement for a female leader who was temporarily unable to join.

There was Yi Lan, leader of the humpback whale team, frank and easygoing.

There was Cui Zheng, leader of the tern team, graceful, lively and lovely.

There was Ma Xiao, leader of the albatross team, energetic, composed and stylish.

There was Chu Jinghua, leader of the orca team, independent and professional.

There was Yang Yang, leader of the seal team, intellectual, elegant and calm.

There was Zhang Lanxi, the Brazil leader, free-spirited, intelligent and relaxed.

They shared one trait: professional, dedicated, talented and low-key.

What surprised me even more was that the founder of Newayer was also a woman: Zhang Xinyuan, a tall, decisive and resilient woman with the energy of an iron lady. She walked like the wind and handled matters with impressive efficiency.

Amused, I sent this discovery back to my family chat and asked: what does this show? My niece, born in the 1990s and most similar to me in temperament, replied instantly: "It shows that women must carry this world." Of course, that was an exaggeration, but on Women's Day, I felt that brilliant answer deserved high praise.

Later I learned that many of the women on this Antarctica journey had wonderful stories behind them.

Ms. Chanmei from the north was self-driving in the Xishuangbanna area when she received a call from a friend she had met through travel. After hearing about the trip, she turned the car around without hesitation and headed back. I asked her how she managed visas and all the paperwork on such short notice. She smiled mysteriously and said that wherever she went, she always carried her household registration booklet, passport and all other documents, ready to respond to such sudden opportunities. Then she added playfully, "Next time, if I get a call from you saying we should go see the world together, I will also turn the car around immediately." What an honor that would be.

Ms. Wang Yuping from Guizhou said that after she decided to go to Antarctica, her husband did not understand her and even called her something of an eccentric. She did not care at all. Cool and confident, she told me, "Let them call me eccentric. I am happy to be an unusual, independent, different kind of flower. Why not?" Yes, why not? Even now, I still want to give Sister Chong a strong high-five. I applaud you.

Then there was Liu Yuan, a woman born in the 1980s from Henan and working in Zhejiang. She has been vegetarian since birth, with an elegant temperament and a seemingly delicate appearance, yet she happens to have a "problem" of loving to travel everywhere. When the ship crossed the notorious Drake Passage and she vomited until she weakly said she had no will to live, it still did not break her determination to continue seeing the world. More impressively, her career is also thriving. I cannot help but admire her and give her a thumbs-up.

There was also Li Yi, a woman born in the 1980s from Shenzhen, Guangdong, who left her job and became a photographer. She travels the world on her own throughout the year, only to set her dreams free and capture the beauty of the world. The world is so large, and she simply wants to see it. When I was returning home after my final stop in Brazil, she packed again and continued on to beautiful Peru, mysterious Chile and stunning Bolivia to keep exploring the wider world. I admired and envied her deeply.

There were many more stories. Space does not allow me to list each woman's splendid life, but I believe all of us share one ideal: to travel thousands of miles, read thousands of books, keep surpassing ourselves and realize our own life dreams, until there is no regret and no unfinished longing.

The peach blossoms are young and bright; their flowers glow vividly. As Women's Day arrives again, may we, in the sunlight and rain of spring, be a leaf pushing upward, a far-reaching beam of light, a lazy spoonful of water, a wandering cloud, a swaying tree. Let us spend time freely while still seizing the day.

Epilogue:

To have met all of you in this life is my good fortune away from the noise of the world.

To have completed this dream journey to Antarctica in this life leaves me without regret or longing.

Happy Women's Day to all the women flowers. May our male friends share the joy with us too.

Attached separately is the link to my 2023 Women's Day declaration.

Dedicated to all the women companions of the Dragon Year Lunar New Year Antarctica journey.

Poetry and Distance: Antarctica, Part 2