He Xiaolian (second from right) takes a photo with her travelling companions in Brussels, Belgium in May 2018. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

He Xiaolian waves the national flag in the Antarctic in Jan 2018. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

He Xiaolian (first from right) takes a photo with her travelling companions in front of an iceberg in the Arctic in Sept 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

He Xiaolian (middle) takes a photo with her travelling companions after ice swimming in the Arctic on Sept 3, 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

He Xiaolian poses for a photo in the Arctic in Sept 2019. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]