The lands at the ends of the earth

Chinese tourists taking photos of an iceberg in Antarctica.

Traditionally, Chinese tourists have fought shy of visiting the poles, but the country's rising economic might and higher incomes mean that the numbers are increasing rapidly, as He Na reports from Beijing.

Related: Wildlife protection

Related:

Animal magic on a trip to the 'new Ice Age'

Whenever he's evaluating a new investment target, the first question that springs into Liu Wenrui's mind is: Does it meet environmental protection standards?

Liu's new found eco-awareness is the result of a trip to Antarctica in the winter of 2011. "I witnessed a huge iceberg collapse right in front of our boat. The massive wave it caused forced us to accelerate to escape the immediate danger. Just a few minutes later, when we slowed down and looked back, the enormous berg had simply disappeared. There was just calm water and it was as if nothing had happened," recalled the 31-year-old executive at an investment company in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

"I'd heard and read the news about global warming almost every day, but to tell the truth, I didn't pay much attention. It just sounded too far removed from my life, However, when you enter the pure, white world and the only other living creatures around are penguins, you suddenly realize what the rise in sea levels means to these animals, to you and the entire world," he said.

In addition to his new outlook on the selection of investment projects, Liu has also started turning off unnecessary lights and driving less. "I'm not doing this for show. I fully understand that if everyone makes small, daily efforts to reduce carbon emissions, we will be saving ourselves," he said.