Snowy Frontier Assault: A Documentary on the Youth Task Force of the Geophysical Exploration Institute’s Exploration of the Huo Shao Yun Lead-Zinc Mine in the Kunlun Mountains

In May 2025, responding to the nation’s call to advance mineral resource exploration, the young assault team from the Geophysical Exploration Institute set out resolutely, driven by a sense of mission, and headed toward the Huo Shao Yun lead-zinc mine deep in the Kunlun Mountains—using their youthful energy to tackle this “plateau battle” that is critical to the nation’s resource strategy.

This assault team consists of five members, with an average age of just 28. They brim with youthful vigor and possess outstanding professional expertise. The exploration destination they’re heading to is the “Forbidden Zone of Life,” located at an average altitude of 5,500 meters. Above the towering peaks, the backbone of the Kunlun Mountains traces a stark, icy arc against the horizon. The air contains only 40 percent of the oxygen found in plain regions. Hidden within the geological folds of this high-altitude plateau lies the massive Huoyun lead-zinc deposit—a mineral resource whose exploration data directly influences the scientific planning of the nation’s strategic layout for mineral resources. Thus, the exploration mission carries extraordinary significance.

Upon arriving at the mining area, the team members immediately faced the challenge of navigating mountain trails. Most of the survey lines required for exploration involved crossing steep slopes with gradients approaching 60 degrees. The slope surfaces were covered with years of weathered rubble, and every rock fragment was incredibly slippery. The team members could only move slowly up the steep slopes, using both their hands and feet while carrying heavy survey equipment and instruments on their backs. Yet, this was merely a “small appetizer” on their arduous journey—the real challenge lay in the frigid, gale-force winds at an altitude of 5,800 meters: biting-cold winds howled past, and when they blew into their throats, it felt as if they were swallowing razor blades, leaving the team members coughing incessantly. Despite the excruciating physical toll, the team members remained steadfast, driven by their unwavering belief in “taking responsibility bravely.”

Among the assault team, one member’s steadfast dedication was particularly touching. Niu Shuangchen, from the Science and Technology Innovation Research and Development Center, began experiencing physical discomfort due to intense work and harsh environmental conditions. His teammates immediately followed the emergency support procedures, advising him and assisting him in heading to the tent for a brief rest and recovery, ensuring that his physical condition would be relieved.

After a brief adjustment, he said, “Now is the critical phase for data collection—every fewer person means fewer eyes watching closely. The task force must step up at the crucial moment.” He deeply understood that the project was currently in a tough攻坚 phase, and every set of precise data was vital to the overall progress of the project. Strictly adhering to the safety protocols for instrument operation, he carefully adjusted the key parameters with hands that had been thoroughly warmed in advance. Every single operation was meticulous and well-organized, ensuring both his own operational safety and the stable functioning of the equipment. This tenacious, never-give-up spirit inspired every member of the team.

Thus, the team members, carrying their equipment, pressed forward with determination amid the “assault melody” of the instruments’ beeps. When they got hungry, they took a few bites of cookies or bread; when they felt thirsty, they gulped down water that was nearly frozen solid. When they grew tired, they leaned against the cold mountain rocks for a brief rest—but they never dared to linger too long, for fear of missing the optimal exploration window. In this way, overcoming numerous challenges such as oxygen deprivation and extreme cold, the team steadily advanced their exploration work and ultimately completed the 36-kilometer electromagnetic survey mission smoothly.
This exploration not only provided Party A with high-quality subsurface geological interpretation profiles but also, thanks to its precise data, effectively guided the subsequent drilling operations, thereby enhancing the mining efficiency of the Huohuayun lead-zinc deposit. The team members have always kept in mind the nation’s urgent need for mineral resources. They transform their gratitude toward their motherland into the vigorous drive that propels them forward with every step they take, steadfastly pursuing the goal of “fully uncovering and characterizing these resources.”

The fierce winds at the Kunlun Pass tore at the team members’ windbreakers day after day, yet they kept their backs bent low, firmly driving the exploration instruments into the hard permafrost. Those coordinate points repeatedly checked in the biting cold, those survey lines carefully anchored beside ice cracks—aren’t they precisely the geophysical imprints etched onto the snow-covered plateau?

The members of the Youth Commando Team from the Geophysical Exploration Institute, with each step taken at an altitude of 5,000 meters as their pen and their steadfast commitment in -30°C temperatures as their ink, have written the most resolute oath on the “Roof of the World”: As long as there remain unexplored resource frontiers on our motherland’s map, the banner of geophysicists will forever fly proudly in the wind and snow.

Executive Producer | Yu Changheng

Reviewed by | Zou Zhongping

Editor-in-charge | Zhou Huiying

Text | Lu Hongyu

Figure | Lu Hongyu, Hu Jie
Editor | Wen Han