Abstract: Scientific research plays an important role in enhancing polar knowledge, protecting polar environment and ecosystem, rational utilization of polar resources, and promoting the development of polar technology. Since China’s first Antarctic expedition in 1984, the country’s polar scientific research has made breakthrough progress. It has built a polar scientific research support platform which contains 7 research stations and 2 research vessels, constructed an atmosphere-land-ocean polar observation network, developed multiple sets of sampling equipment such as polar deep ice core drilling tools, organized and implemented polar projects such as “Comprehensive Investigation and Evaluation of the Arctic and Antarctic Environment”, and achieved research results in multiple fields such as the instability of polar ice caps and their response to global change. It has successfully implemented international cooperation projects such as “The Prydz Bay, Amery Ice Shelf and Dome A Observatories” (PANDA). In the future, we should further improve the polar scientific research platform, enhance the long-term observation and monitoring capabilities of the Antarctic ice sheet and the central Arctic Ocean, carry out major polar scientific research activities such as drilling of the Antarctic subglacial lake, promote the international cooperation utilizing the scientific research platforms such as the marine laboratory at Antarctic Qinling Station, and make greater contributions to understanding, protecting, and utilizing the polar regions.

Key words: polar, scientific research platform, observation network, scientific research, progress