A Chinese couple with a penchant for adventure are planning an 80,000-kilometer round-the-world trip that will see them fly themselves to five continents, including Antarctica.

Zhang Xinyu and his wife, Liang Hong, plan to begin their journey by flying a Chinese-made plane from Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, to North America via the Russian Far East.

Their itinerary will take them to the Mexican Plateau and Chile’s Atacama Desert before they arrive in Antarctica. Afterward they plan to fly to Africa via Brazil’s rainforests, visiting Ethiopia and Kenya, before eventually returning to China via Southeast Asia, completing a journey that is twice the length of the equator.

“Many of the countries we want to go offer visa-free or visa-upon-arrival entry to Chinese nationals,” Zhang said.

“I want my fellow people to know the world, and I want to document the kindness and the beauty of the world,” he added.

Their trip is scheduled to begin before the end of this month, and the adventure will last until June.

In preparation, the couple completed a six-month training session that taught them skills such as flying at night or in complex weather conditions, as well as aircraft maintenance.

“I was moved when they said they wanted to pilot a Chinese aircraft to Antarctica,” said Li Xinming, a manager at China Fly Dragon General Aviation, where the couple were trained.

“As professionals, we know all about safety.”

According to the couple, only about 200 people are thought to have completed such an expedition and it is the first time that a Chinese-made plane will be used.

The plane, the Y-12, is a twin-engine utility aircraft built by Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, with a range of about 1,300 km. The aircraft has been used for many scientific missions.

Tencent Holdings Ltd’s messaging services were by far the most popular mobile apps in China in 2016, leading steady growth in the world’s largest internet and smartphone market, a report showed on Sunday.

WeChat remained the most heavily used app in the country in 2016, with almost 80 per cent of the online population employing the social media service frequently, the China Internet Network Information Center said in its annual report.

Tencent’s QQ took second place, while Alibaba Group Holding Ltd’s online platform Taobao came in third. Baidu Inc’s mobile app and Alipay, the payments service run by Alibaba-affiliate Ant Financial, rounded out the top five.

The rankings underscore how China’s “BAT” internet triumvirate－Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent－dominate the country’s internet industry. Internet users in the Chinese mainland climbed roughly 6 per cent to 731 million－about twice the population of the United States.

The number of people who accessed the internet through a mobile device surged more than 12 per cent to 695 million. China has become a major source of revenue for smartphone industry players from Qualcomm Inc to Apple Inc. But, the domestic scene is again lorded over by a clutch of local players, including Oppo Electronics Corp, vivo Communication Technology Co and Huawei Technologies Co.

One of the fastest-growing areas in 2016 was ride-hailing, according to the CINIC. That segment is dominated by Didi Chuxing. Users of ride-hailing services such as Didi’s leapt 38 per cent to 168 million in the second half of 2016, from the first half. There were also 225 million people who used an app only to call taxis.

State authorities have said that no efforts were spared in attempts to save two giant pandas whose deaths at a Shanghai zoo late last month triggered public anger.

The State Forestry Administration also said on its micro-blogging service that they have good reasons to set up panda conservation and research centres in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou－places which are not traditional habitats for the animals that are deeply loved in China.

The declaration comes after a 21-year-old captive panda and one of her female cubs died of acute pancreatitis and intestinal complications respectively at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park in December.

The zoo, still breeding another five pandas, has since become the target of public anger.

In response to questions about why the endangered mammals were being kept outside of their traditional habitat of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, the administration said breeding pandas in developed regions can provide a safer environment for the species and aid public education, while allowing them to take advantage of advanced research and technology in those regions.

The Shanghai Wild Animal Park first revealed the deaths of the two animals on its Sina Weibo account on Thursday.

It said that the adult panda Guoguo started to develop symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort on Dec 19. Medical experts quickly isolated her before administering a series of tests, including B-ultrasound and CT examinations. However, she died on the morning of Dec 26.

Her 6-month-old cub, Huasheng, which means “peanut” in Chinese, was quickly isolated from her ill mother. But she still developed symptoms of vomiting and abdominal discomfort as well as excreting intestinal mucus on Dec 23. On Dec 29, a CT examination discovered that the cub, which weighed about 10 kilograms, was suffering from severe twisted bowel.

The medical team immediately carried out a surgery and performed a blood infusion, but failed to rectify the situation. The cub died on Dec 31.

Min Yingguo, a manager of the zoo’s animal management department, said that the sudden transfer from breast feeding to artificial formula may have been the cause of the cub’s illness.

In addition, Huasheng, an energetic cub, may have injured her fragile organs when rolling about on the ground.

The wildlife park said it had immediately informed the Giant Panda Protection and Research Center of China about the condition of the two pandas. It added that two veterinarians and one breeder from the centre, as well as three zookeepers and other working staff, were involved in the diagnosis and treatment of the animals.

Thousands of netizens commented on the incident, with many questioning why the zoo took so long to inform the public about the incident and declaring that they will boycott the zoo.

A weibo user called “biubiu-AU” said that the truth behind these incidents has been covered up and that the zoo is not fit to be called a breeding centre for giant pandas.

Other weibo users expressed their condolences.

“It was such a grand event when these pandas came to the zoo. But now that they’re gone, it has been such a hush-hush affair. I hope Huasheng and her mother will rest in peace,” one netizen wrote.

Huasheng was the first panda cub born in Shanghai and her name was decided on after a campaign drawing tens of thousands of participants last year.

Bangkok’s China Town will not hold a Chinese New Year Festival this year because the country is still mourning the passing of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

“The organising committee for the Yaowarat’s Chinese New Year celebrations has resolved to not hold any event,” Samphathawong District Office director Yuttana Pamai said yesterday.

Chinese New Year is Saturday.

Normally, Chinese New Year celebrations in Bangkok’s China Town are a big event with dragon and lion dancing and various other performances.

The late monarch passed away on October 13 last year. The government has announced a one-year mourning period for the government sector.