  The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (hereinafter CSTAR) is the first Chinese
astronomical instrument on the Antarctic ice cap. The low temperature and low
pressure testing of the data acquisition system was carried out in a laboratory
refrigerator and on the 4500m Pamirs high plateau, respectively. The results
from the final four nights of test observations demonstrated that CSTAR was
ready for operation at Dome A, Antarctica. In this paper we present a
description of CSTAR and the performance derived from the test observations.
