Luhuitou, located at the southern end of Sanya, is a "mid-level peninsula" formed by hundreds of millions of years of waves hitting the sand. Here, a love myth of a Li youth chasing a deer girl has been passed down for thousands of years. When the mother ship of the scientific expedition carried the "Strivers" and other equipment, thus entering the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean, the story of China's conquest of the far-reaching sea was also recorded and praised one by one.
From theory to core technology, from models to scientific research tools, from shallow seas to 10,000-meter abyss, the young Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Institute of Deep-sea Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), shouldering the mission of a marine power, constantly groping for breakthroughs, once a small fishing village rose a deep-sea scientific and technological highland.
The picture shows the "Exploration No. 1" and "Exploration No. 2" research vessels delivered to the Deep Sea Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for operation and maintenance. Image courtesy of the Institute of Deep Sea, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Science and technology are self-reliant and self-reliant, forging a sharp weapon of a big country
The Institute of Deep Sea of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which was prepared in 2011 and formally established in 2016, undertakes the heavy responsibility of national deep-sea scientific research and the research and development of key technologies and equipment of the deep sea, and has adhered to the road of scientific and technological self-reliance and self-improvement since its establishment.
"In just 5 years, we have completed the transformation of two research vessels and the localization of operating equipment." Yang Ning, deputy director of the Institute of Deep Seas of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.
In 2014, the Institute of Deep Sea of the Chinese Academy of Sciences took the lead in marching into the haidou abyss larger than 6500 meters in China, and successfully developed a series of unmanned abyss scientific expedition equipment such as "Tianya". That year, for the first time, the mainland had the ability to enter and probe the 10,000-meter deep sea.
In 2017, the 4,500-meter manned submersible Deep Sea Warrior completed sea trials in the South China Sea. Hu Zhen, chief designer, commented that with low operation and maintenance costs, it can basically cover the depth of the world's maritime resources that can be developed.
The picture shows the "Deep Sea Warrior" manned submersible performing night operations in a certain sea area. Image courtesy of the Institute of Deep Sea, Chinese Academy of Sciences
In 2020 and 2021, the Institute of Deep Sea of the Chinese Academy of Sciences took the lead in organizing scientific research units to go to the Mariana Trench of the "Fourth Pole of the Earth" and completed the sea trial and scientific expedition application tasks of the "Strivers" all-sea deep manned submersible respectively. 21 10,000-meter dives witnessed the challenge of mainland scientific expeditions to the limits of the deep sea.
Cultivate the fighting spirit and temper the team of hard work
When the scientific researchers on TV raised the five-star red flag in the blue ocean, when the model of the "Strivers" appeared in the National Science and Technology Museum, when the research ship returned to Port to welcome the crowds... Behind this is the hard work of the deep-sea scientific expeditions that few people know.
"Deep-sea expeditions are extremely technically risky and intense, often requiring seasickness and physical exhaustion to complete seemingly 'impossible tasks.'" Yang Ning said: "The motto we adhere to is 'it is better to take risks than deserters', and at every scientific expedition site, everyone can come together." It was this fighting spirit that opened the era of the continent's abyss scientific expedition.
The picture shows the expedition activities of deep-sea expedition personnel in the Mariana Trench. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Kaizi
The more frustrated and courageous, the more repeated victories, thanks to the Chinese Academy of Sciences Deep Sea Institute took the lead in breaking the "four onlys" in the cultivation of talents: to evaluate engineering and technical personnel with performance, practical ability and spirit of cooperation as the mainstay; to evaluate scientific research talents with performance and the level of papers; to train scientific expedition personnel with the most complex sea conditions and the most arduous field operations, creating a group of backbone talents with an average age of only 35 years old.
Achieve catch-up leapfrogging and continue to explore innovation
Once the engine of the research vessel roars, the mysterious deep sea is no longer "dreams and far away".
On the Luhuitou Peninsula, which extends from Sanya city to the sea, the Institute of Deep Sea of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has not only gradually become a gathering place for major national deep-sea equipment, but also a gathering place for international high-level deep-sea scientific expedition talents, realizing the leap of "from entry to detection to development" and "from following to running and running to local leading" in the field of deep-sea scientific expeditions.
The Strivers have entered the first echelon of the world's manned diving field. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Kaizi
Wang Pinxian, an internationally renowned Chinese "deep-diving academician", believes that in the past half century, one of the biggest advances in earth science is the discovery of the deep-sea world.
"All the difficulties will not stop our yearning for the deep sea." Yang Ning said that the Institute of Deep Sea of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has begun to plan a new round of innovation and change, "we are breaking the boundaries of systems, departments and disciplines, cooperating with more than 100 units in China to build a 'small core, large network' innovation system, actively exploring the establishment of a new national scientific research system, and making more contributions to human understanding, protection and development of the ocean." ”
Reporters: Zhao Yingquan, Chen Kaizi