Zhou's seasickness is legendary among colleagues.

"I vomit even when drinking water at sea," he said. During one mission to the Mariana Trench, he said he vomited for the first seven days until his stomach cramped and his legs went weak. "But when the equipment fails, I pull myself together and solve the problem."

Zhou is now training the next generation. Four of his apprentices come from local technical schools in Hainan. One is a senior technician, two are technicians, and one, born after 2000, is an advanced-level technician.

"I always tell them not to treat this as simple tasks to check off," Zhou said. "They must embrace the responsibility of contributing to the nation's high-level deep-sea technology."

His innovation studio operates under a simple motto: "There is no road in the deep sea. We don't need to follow — we are the path."

Zhou said, "The scientific research spirit is about going all out and never giving up."

As China pushes its deep-sea ambitions, Zhou believes craftsmanship will determine how far the country can go. "Passing the torch, sustaining craftsmanship — that will nurture more great country craftsmen," he said.