In 2018, 82-year-old marine geologist and Chinese Academy of Sciences academician Wang Pinxian boarded the "Deep Sea Warrior" manned submersible and descended to a depth of 1,410 meters in the South China Sea, becoming the oldest diver in China's manned deep diving history. For this moment, Wang Pinxian waited for a full 40 years. It was in 1978, when he accompanied a delegation of representatives from the Ministry of Petroleum on a foreign visit, that a French expert described to him the experience of diving into the depths of the Mediterranean Sea in a manned submersible. "When will I be able to use our own deep-sea submersible to explore the depths of the sea?" Wang Pinxian silently wondered. During those 40 years, humanity gradually entered a new stage of developing ocean resources and strategic spatial utilization, with major powers around the world accelerating their presence in the oceans. For China, building a maritime power is a major strategic task in achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Over those 40 years, Wang Pinxian's hair turned almost completely white, and more wrinkles appeared on his face, his back gradually hunched. But his determination remained unchanged, his eyes were bright and his stride was still firm. He looked forward to welcoming the "Chinese school" of marine geology and to China becoming a leader in global scientific research. One scene from years ago still deeply impressed Wang Pinxian: In the early hours of March 3, 1999, the first well of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Expedition 184 began drilling in the South China Sea, and the drilling ship "JOIDES Resolution" raised the five-star red flag. The ODP1143 hole, drilled to a depth of 500 meters below the sea floor at 2800 meters of water depth, remains the only scientific deep drilling in the South China Sea to this day. Wang Pinxian stood on the deck, deeply moved: This was the first joint scientific expedition plan proposed, designed, and led by Chinese scientists, and it would also be a breakthrough for deep-sea scientific drilling in Chinese waters. When the drilling ship set sail from the west coast of Australia and crossed the Indian Ocean into the South China Sea, it received international warnings of pirates in the southern part of the South China Sea. At the time, the captain, from a safety perspective, proposed abandoning drilling in the Spratly Islands and heading straight to the Dongsha Sea area. Wang Pinxian, as one of the chief scientists, strongly disagreed and ultimately obtained a commitment from the State Oceanic Administration stating that "China will closely watch this expedition," deciding to drill in the Spratlys. That's when the scene of an American ship raising the Chinese flag in the Spratlys occurred. The ship was brightly lit 24 hours a day, with everyone divided into two shifts working in rotation. In order to keep abreast of the work in both shifts, 62-year-old Wang Pinxian scheduled his working time from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wang Pinxian recalled that working overtime was common, saying, "Even when I was tired, I didn't dare to sleep. I had never seen a deep-sea drilling ship before, and now I had to command scientists from around the world. This responsibility was too heavy." During the nearly two months of sailing, they drilled a total of 17 wells and obtained core samples at a depth of 5,000 meters, revealing evidence of seabed expansion 30 million years ago and geological and climatic changes 20 million years ago in the South China Sea, unveiling its evolution history.ODP, which began in 1968 as an international collaboration program, was mainly participated by the United States, Japan, and European countries before China officially joined in 1998. Scientists use special drilling ships equipped with special equipment to drill into the ocean floor several kilometers deep and, through analysis of the seabed core samples, reveal various aspects of the Earth's surface history. As the only global program that drills deep into the ocean floor, the drilling sites of ODP are determined through a competitive voting process by an international scientific committee. Each expedition is highly competitive, with some proposals not being selected even after several years of submission. "We focused on the 'record of the East Asian monsoon in the South China Sea and its global climate significance'," said Wang Pinxian, as at that time, the evolution of monsoons was a hot research topic internationally, but there was a lack of records of the East Asian monsoon compared to the evidence from the Indian Ocean. Looking at our blue planet, 71% of its surface is covered by the ocean, with the deep-sea areas exceeding 2000 meters in depth accounting for 84% of the entire ocean area. In other words, more than 60% of the Earth's surface is covered by the deep-sea environment. A strong nation is built upon strong seas, and the prosperity of the nation lies in the development of its maritime industry. When research on the South China Sea finally entered the international stage, Wang Pinxian hoped it would shine even brighter. In 2006, Wang Pinxian began planning the application for the "Evolution of Deep Sea Processes in the South China Sea" major research program. Four years later, the program was officially launched, with 60 research projects established, attracting over 700 participants from more than 30 national units. It is the largest-scale program in China's field of basic marine research. The program conducted three international ocean drilling expeditions and three deep-sea submersible expeditions in the South China Sea. "If researching the evolution of the South China Sea is compared to dissecting a sparrow, the geological structural evolution is the sparrow's bones, the deep-sea sediment that records the history of the South China Sea is the sparrow's flesh, and the fluid in the basin is the sparrow's blood. These three are interrelated and indispensable," explained Wang Pinxian. The aforementioned research program has made a series of scientific breakthroughs that go against the mainstream international views in these three aspects: through the study of climate evolution records in the South China Sea, the concept of low-latitude driving global climate change is proposed, which is contrary to the previous model that believed high latitudes in the Arctic determined global climate change; a new hypothesis of margin rifting has been put forward regarding the formation of the South China Sea, rejecting the previously popular "Atlantic model." "Earth science originated in Europe, and it carried the 'birthmark' of Europe from the beginning. But not everything that worked in the Atlantic applies to the Western Pacific," said Wang Pinxian. In the past decade, Wang Pinxian has found it challenging to have his international papers published. "My articles always clash with other people's viewpoints, and reviewers generally do not like opposition. One chief editor even advised me to submit my work to a different journal, but I insisted on publishing there because I am right."

Finally, the paper was published, but gaining recognition and acceptance from opponents often takes longer.

"Science thrives on doubt, and innovation requires the majority to follow the minority, so it is never easy. I look forward to the emergence of a 'Chinese school' in marine geology. But this is not something that can be accomplished in one generation; it requires continuous efforts from more young scholars," said Wang Pinxian.


Without a country, there is no home, and this sentiment can never be abandoned.


Wang Pinxian believes that his life can be divided into two stages: a turbulent first half and truly engaging in scientific research in the second half. He became a professor at 49 years old and was elected as an academician at 55, but he considers his "weighty" achievements to have been made after turning 60.


Wang Pinxian often jokes, "Others become postdocs, but I became an academician. It wasn't until my later years that I discovered the academic treasure trove of deep-sea research."


Because of this, Wang Pinxian has always been "stingy with time," dedicating as much time as possible to research and work. The light in his office remains on from 7:30 in the morning until past 12 o'clock at night. It was only after a serious illness four years ago that he started leaving at 9:30 in the evening.


"How can I not cherish a job opportunity that I waited decades to get? It's like the 'flying swan stepping on snowy mud,' always hoping to leave a mark in the progress of the country and society in my lifetime," Wang Pinxian said.


This sense of country and home is something Wang Pinxian has had since childhood. As an "old Shanghai" born in 1936, his childhood was marked by hardship. "Our generation born during the Anti-Japanese War understands very well that without a country, there is no home. This sentiment can never be abandoned," Wang Pinxian said.


In 1955, Wang Pinxian went to study at the Geological Department of Moscow University. "At that time, when I went abroad, everything from head to toe, even socks and gloves, was provided by the state. After returning to China, my thinking was 'What can I do for the country?' and this became my lifelong belief."


In 1960, this recent graduate came to East China Normal University with enthusiasm and joined the then-preparatory Marine Geology Department. At that time, over 40 university graduates were brought in from all over the country to build this new major, but nobody knew a thing about marine geology. During the "difficult times," everyone could only rely on books for knowledge.

A few years later, the country formally established the "627 Project" in Shanghai, with plans to explore oil and gas resources in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

In 1972, the "Marine Geology Brigade" at East China Normal University merged into the Underground Engineering Department of Tongji University, and Wang Pinxian transferred to Tongji University. In 1975, the Marine Geology and Geophysics Department at Tongji University was formally established. However, at that time, the university didn't even have a small boat, let alone the means to explore offshore oil.

In 1978, Wang Pinxian followed the oil department's science and technology delegation to visit the United States and France for two months. He discovered that oil exploration worldwide was shifting towards the oceans, with foreign oil companies and prestigious universities researching ocean and offshore exploration. This trip broadened Wang's horizons and had a lifelong impact on him. He witnessed the international forefront of deep-sea exploration, while also identifying China's lag in this area. By focusing on the ocean, Wang Pinxian's scientific career thrived with the advent of China's reform and opening-up policy. In 1985, he became a doctoral supervisor as an associate professor after the establishment of China's first ocean geology doctoral program. In 1991, he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1999, he became the first Chinese Chief Scientist of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). In 2005, he received approval to establish the National Key Laboratory of Marine Geology. From 2011 to 2018, he led the "Evolution of Deep Processes in the South China Sea" major research program, making the South China Sea a model for the study of deep-sea processes in marginal seas. At the same time, Wang Pinxian continuously called for strengthening China's maritime awareness and activating the maritime elements in Chinese culture. Today, Wang Pinxian's dream has already been realized, with China accelerating its pace of marine scientific and technological innovation and continuously improving its capacity for marine resource development. Despite his age, Wang Pinxian remains vigorous, working tirelessly in the field of marine science and technology.