Scientists from Mainland, HK, Taiwan Join in Arctic Research 　　A scientist from Taiwan, Ruey-Gang Chang, went aboard the "Snow Dragon" Expedition Ship anchored a mile off Nome, Alaska today to join 124 scientists and journalists on their voyage to the North Pole. 　　Another scientist, from Hong Kong, is expected to join the team at Tuktoyaktuk, Canada. This is the first time that Chinese scientists from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan have cooperated in a polar research activity. 　　"I feel honored to take part in China's first government-sponsored Arctic expedition. And I hope that cooperation between scientists from the mainland and Taiwan will be enhanced," said Chang, a surveyor from Taiwan's Ming Hsin Institute of Technology. 　　Chang will collaborate with professor E Dongchen of Wuhan Technology University of Surveying and Mapping in conducting research on absolute gravity at the North Pole. 　　The Taiwanese scientist saluted the captain of the ship before he went aboard today, saying, "I am proud of China's scientific advancement." 　　E Dongchen said he will continue his cooperation with Chang on China's 16th expedition to the South Pole and other research in the future. 　　E Dongchen, director of the Antarctic Surveying and Mapping Research Center of China, has taken part in four expeditions to the South Pole and one expedition to the North Pole, and the founder of Chinese polar surveying and mapping. 　　He said invaluable first-hand data will be gained from absolute gravity research during this expedition with the aid of the world' s only portable absolute gravimeter. 　　Polar researcher Rebecca Lee from Hong Kong joined the expedition when the ship left Shanghai a few weeks ago. She has previously been to the Arctic Circle six times, but this is her first voyage to the Arctic Ocean on a Chinese ship. 　　"I think this present research is very important, and I'm willing to make contributions to China's scientific development," she said. 　　Scientists from ROK and Japan, and a navigator from Russia are also aboard the polar expedition ship. (Xinhua) HomeNews 1999-07-14 Page5 Full Story in Chinese