Characters | Han Xiqiu: The female chief who searches for the "black chimney" on the seabed

She has been with the sea for thirty years and has seen both vast blue waves and raging storms. While braving the wind and waves, she has painted pictures of the ocean floor and searched for treasures for the motherland. In her own way, she has composed a magnificent melody of man and ocean for the motherland.

Written by reporter Wang Xueying, Photo and text editor Chen Yongjie

New Media Editor/Lv Bingxin

Expert Profile:

Han Xiqiu (Second-level researcher at the Submarine Science Laboratory of the Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, and member of the 9th and 10th Standing Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology)

“Rumble… rumble…”

The sound of the fishing boat's motor echoed between the water and the sky, and the happy seagulls cried and shuttled happily in the splashing waves. The waves hit the fishing boat, like a tight embrace after a long separation.

"I'm so excited! I haven't been out to sea for a long time!" Amid the sound of the waves, a woman stood on the bow. She stretched out her arms, enjoying every kiss left on her cheeks by the sea breeze.

Having been with the sea for thirty years, she, Han Xiqiu, has seen both the vast blue waves and the raging sea. As she braved the wind and waves, the sea and she seem to have formed an unspoken tacit understanding. Having been deeply engaged in the seabed resources and mineralization system for decades, she has been faithful in her faith and has been constantly striving for self-improvement. She has used her youth to paint a portrait of the seabed, and her sweat to diagnose the pulse of the earth. In her own way, she has composed a magnificent melody of man and ocean for the motherland.

Ten years of hard work

People always like to give outstanding people a sense of destiny, as if their success is a brocade woven by talent. However, few people know that as the first female chief scientist in the history of China's ocean exploration, Han Xiqiu, although praised by many media as the "daughter of the sea", did not grow up "accompanied by the sea" as people imagine.

"My hometown is close to Taizhou Bay, so I can often eat seafood. But I didn't go to the beach often when I was a kid, and the sea I saw was murky and muddy due to the high sediment content, which was not attractive." Recalling his childhood memories, Han Xiqiu smiled and said, "The first time I took a boat on the sea was when I went to college." In September 1986, Han Xiqiu left his hometown Taizhou to study in Chengdu. He first went to Jiaojiang Haimen Port to take a sea-going ship to Shanghai to take a train. "I took a boat for a day and a night. That was my first experience of going out to sea."

Han Xiqiu started her university life in the Department of Geology of Chengdu University of Technology (formerly Chengdu Institute of Geology). Because of her excellent academic performance, the young Han Xiqiu was recommended to study for a master's degree. After graduation in 1993, she joined the Second Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources (formerly the Second Institute of Oceanography of the State Oceanic Administration, hereinafter referred to as "Ocean Institute II") and began to work in the deep sea and ocean, studying polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean. In 1998, when her son was a little over one year old, she was admitted to Zhejiang University to study for a doctorate degree while working.

▲Han Xiqiu (third from left in the first row) when he was studying at university (Photo courtesy of Han Xiqiu)

In 2001, Han Xiqiu encountered an opportunity that could change the course of her life - she received an invitation letter from Professor Owen Hughes, director of the Kiel Center for Marine Science Research in Germany.

It turned out that during Professor Hughes's visit to the Second Institute of Oceanography, Han Xiqiu's doctoral dissertation work caught his attention. "He invited me to visit this internationally renowned institute and give a special academic lecture for a week, and all expenses were paid by the other party. I couldn't believe my eyes! I read the email over and over again and was very excited." Recalling the moment when he received the invitation, Han Xiqiu's excitement is still beyond words.

It was because of this opportunity that Han Xiqiu got the opportunity to be a visiting scholar and postdoctoral researcher in Germany, and was exposed to the international frontier fields - submarine cold seeps and hydrothermal fluids, gas hydrate resources and polymetallic sulfide resources. This also opened up a twenty-year cooperative research with Professor Hughes' team and other scholars from the other side, covering polymetallic nodules and cobalt-rich crusts, submarine cold seeps and gas hydrates, submarine hydrothermal fluids and polymetallic sulfides. During this period, Han Xiqiu also went to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean and the South China Sea many times to investigate gas hydrate resources and polymetallic sulfide resources.

It took Han Xiqiu 10 years from starting work in 1993 to going abroad in 2001 and going to the ocean in 2002. During these 10 years, she devoted herself to research and accumulated experience. Her research papers have won the first and second prizes of Zhejiang Province's Excellent Papers for many times, and she has been funded by the State Oceanic Administration Youth Science Fund, the National Natural Science Foundation and the National Scholarship Fund. "If you do those seemingly unrelated researches seriously, your experience and knowledge will continue to be enriched, and one day, they will automatically link and connect with each other to form a network," she said, "At this time, your opportunity will come." Han Xiqiu has been honing her skills for 10 years, and she has demonstrated with her actions that "opportunities always favor those who are prepared."

Keep your feet on the ground, and every step you take actually counts. Han Xiqiu's life of braving the wind and waves has thus begun.

Go ride the wind, go ride the waves

In 2005, China planned to formally launch the exploration of polymetallic sulfide resources in the international seabed area, and the China Ocean Mineral Resources Research and Development Association organized China's first ocean global scientific expedition. Han Xiqiu, who had just returned from Germany, was entrusted with an important task because of her experience on German scientific research ships many times. As the chief scientist assistant of the Pacific and Indian Ocean sections, she boarded the "Ocean No. 1" scientific research ship and officially started her deep-sea exploration journey to find "treasures" for her motherland.

▲Han Xiqiu followed the Jiaolong into the ocean floor for an inspection and returned to the surface (Photo courtesy of Han Xiqiu)

"The 'treasures' we are looking for on the seabed include the mysterious 'black chimneys' on the seabed," Han Xiqiu told reporters. The so-called "black chimneys" refer to the high-temperature hydrothermal fluids rich in metal elements ejected from the seabed fissures in the seabed high-temperature hydrothermal activity area. After encountering the cold seawater, they quickly form black metal sulfide minerals, which look like billowing black smoke. Where there are black chimneys, there are not only rich polymetallic sulfide mines, but also ecosystems in extreme environments, which are hot spots for international investigation and research. Therefore, finding new "black chimneys" on the seabed is the dream of marine geologists and marine biologists. However, finding such a wisp of "smoke" in the depths of the ocean thousands of meters deep is not only technically difficult, but also a huge challenge mentally - facing the unpredictable sea requires extraordinary courage and amazing courage that ordinary people can hardly imagine.

In 2009, Han Xiqiu served as the chief scientist for the third leg of China's 19th ocean expedition, adding a brilliant touch to the slowly unfolding history of China's ocean scientific research. Her appearance not only completely broke the situation in which China's ocean scientific research had been monopolized by men, but also made more people realize that the combined strength and flexibility of female power is rising in my country's scientific research field.

Talking about Han Xiqiu at work, outsiders see her as an absolute "iron lady". "She is still energetic even after working for 20 hours non-stop" and "She is always there whenever you need her"... It can be said that Han Xiqiu is stronger than a "man" at work.

Many people don't know that scientific research at sea often requires working day and night, and researchers often need to work around the clock. As the chief scientist, Han Xiqiu has much more and heavier responsibilities on her shoulders. "The scientific expedition members can work in shifts, but there is no one to rotate as the chief scientist," she said. Sometimes she is so tired from working around the clock that she just lies down in her clothes and takes a nap. Han Xiqiu said: "It may not be an exaggeration to describe the investigation work on the ship as racing against time."

In 2010, Han Xiqiu served as the chief scientist of the 7th leg of the 21st China Ocean Expedition, investigating the seafloor polymetallic sulfide resources in the southwest Indian Ocean, known as the "devil's westerly belt". On the first day before returning home, Han Xiqiu and his team encountered extremely bad sea conditions: huge waves shook the research vessel, and several-meter-high waves hit the deck heavily, and even rushed up and hit the glass windows on the bridge. In such a storm, the more than 4,000-ton research vessel was like a lone boat, swaying violently with the waves. However, this violent turbulence did not affect Han Xiqiu at all - she was fully focused on the track of the "Ocean No. 1" ship displayed on the screen, and from time to time she used a walkie-talkie to contact the control laboratory on the deck to understand the seafloor features observed by the deep-sea camera, and from time to time she ordered the first mate to adjust the course and move towards the target area she predicted. The survey data from the previous few days showed that there might be polymetallic sulfide deposits nearby.

"Found it! Red hydrothermal deposits!" After fighting the waves for four hours, suddenly, an excited voice came from the intercom. When the TV grab successfully grabbed the polymetallic sulfide sample and closed it successfully, Han Xiqiu, who was navigating on the bridge, screamed and whistled, and ran all the way to the control laboratory, her excitement beyond words. "I will never forget that kind of ecstasy," Han Xiqiu said with a smile. This was the first major discovery she made since she became the chief scientist. In order to make this seamount with polymetallic sulfide deposits in the deep southwest Indian Ocean no longer "obscure", Han Xiqiu decided to name it after a famous mountain in Hangzhou - "Yuhuang Mountain", and called the newly discovered hydrothermal area "Yuhuang Hydrothermal Area".

▲In 2010, Han Xiqiu led a team to discover the Yuhuang hydrothermal area in the southwest Indian Ocean and collected sulfide samples (Photo courtesy of Han Xiqiu)

In 2011, with the approval of the International Seabed Authority, China obtained a contract to explore a 10,000 square kilometer polymetallic sulfide mining area in the southwest Indian Ocean. Han Xiqiu played an indispensable role in this. However, she did not rest on her laurels. In 2012, she turned to open up a new survey area in the northwest Indian Ocean. Now another decade has passed. "I like to explore," she said lightly.

There is no doubt that Han Xiqiu is lucky. Many marine geologists may not find a "black chimney" on the seabed in their lifetime, but she not only found one, but also led the team to discover 12 polymetallic sulfide deposits (points) in the international seabed area in just over ten years, and delineated more than 50 seabed polymetallic sulfide deposit prospecting areas, which greatly promoted the development of my country in the field of international deep-sea prospecting.

Behind this luck, Han Xiqiu's success is undoubtedly inevitable to a certain extent. In the nearly 30 years of marine geological research, Han Xiqiu has made 19 sea expeditions, covering the world's three major oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the edge of the Central American continent and my country's South China Sea. She also took the "Jiaolong" manned submersible to the bottom of the Indian Ocean twice to collect samples from hydrothermal vents. Her wide range of interests and tireless spirit of exploration have made her one of the few experts in China and abroad who are involved in the research of four types of seabed resources: polymetallic nodules, cobalt-rich crusts, hydrothermal sulfides and natural gas hydrates, and have achieved outstanding results.

At the 2021 World Top Scientists "She" Forum, she quoted Mr. Yuan Longping's famous saying, "Books and computers are good, but rice cannot grow in books and computers. Rice can only grow in fields, so we must go to the fields," she said, "It is the same for us. Only by going to the deep sea and ocean to find the real mines and bring out the ore on the seabed can we achieve the ultimate goal as a prospector."

Half sea water, half fire

In Han Xiqiu, rationality and sensibility are intertwined in a clear and harmonious way. During the days spent with the sea, although his mind and body were greatly tempered, facing the colorful seabed and the silky ocean surface, Han Xiqiu also particularly enjoyed the unique romance that was different from the land.

"When you look up at the sea, you can see the Milky Way, which is very shocking. Only when you see it with your own eyes, you will truly understand why the Milky Way is called 'Milky Way' in English," said Han Xiqiu. The sky dotted with bright gems looks like an overturned milk bottle, with milky white milk flowing and splashing all the way, so it is called "Milky Way" abroad and "Milky Way" in China.

With the sky as the dome and the sea as the floor, the magnificent nature always evokes the tenderness in Han Xiqiu's heart and awakens the romantic soul who loves poetry and the distance. In her writing, the earth and the sea are always full of vitality, smart and passionate, "sometimes it is as quiet as a virgin, that is, the blue sari is as smooth as velvet, stirring up ripples; sometimes it is as graceful as a startled wild goose, the breeze passes through its clothes, like rippling blue waves, making the rings and pendants on its body play a tinkling and beautiful movement". "I think science needs to be combined with art, otherwise it is inevitable that it will feel boring sometimes," she said.

In 2015, Han Xiqiu, the chief scientist of the China Ocean Expedition 33, discovered two new active hydrothermal areas in the northwest Indian Ocean. She took words from the Book of Songs, Shang Song, and named them "Da Xi" and "Tian Xiu" respectively. "Tian Xiu" is taken from "What is the rest of heaven, not competing or not, not hard or soft", which means being blessed by heaven, because many international scientific expedition teams had investigated and searched hard in the sea area before, but could not find it. "Da Xi" is taken from the words "Ten dragon flags, Da Xi is the inheritance" in the Book of Songs, Shang Song, which means the rich millet prepared for sacrifices in ancient times. The shrimps and crabs in the seabed hydrothermal area are like a feast in the Dragon Palace.

"It's like naming your own child," Han Xiqiu said with a smile, "We want to give the geographical entities we investigate and discover a good name that is appropriate and can reflect our Chinese culture and the contributions of the Chinese people. This is very meaningful." Today, Han Xiqiu has engraved his poetic and picturesque ideas on 16 newly discovered ocean floor geographical entities around the world, adding a unique Chinese flavor to the wonders of nature.

Spreading starlight, science has no gender

As a female scientist, Han Xiqiu has broken the previous gender prejudice against deep-sea scientific research. However, in her opinion, scientific research is not gender-specific at all - she is a scientist first, and a woman second.

"On the research vessel, professionals are assigned according to job requirements. There is no difference between men and women. Everyone works equally hard," said Han Xiqiu. "The standards for scientific research are the same. They will not be lowered just because you are a woman."

As a doctoral supervisor, Han Xiqiu is both a "strict teacher" and a "kind mother". Every time she performs a voyage mission, she always strives to bring more students with her to create more practical opportunities for young people. In this regard, Han Xiqiu has her own opinion: "Each voyage of ocean scientific research is a multi-task, multi-disciplinary comprehensive investigation, and experts from different disciplines will gather together, so it is actually a very rare opportunity for communication and learning." In her opinion, young people must have dreams in their hearts. "Only with dreams can they have the motivation and energy to work." Therefore, Han Xiqiu often encourages students, especially girls, to try more, fight boldly, and let go, and not be imprisoned by gender. "Look, women have also rushed into the blue sky of the universe, which shows that women who are capable of men can also be competent." She said.

Recently, she participated in the 2022 "Her Future" Rural Girls Science and Technology Education Activity co-organized by the Youth Science and Technology Center of the China Association for Science and Technology and the China Youth Science and Technology Counselors Association, guided by the United Nations Children's Fund China Office, and supported by the China Association of Women Scientists and Technologists. She used her own struggle story to encourage the general public, especially young women, to love science and have an interest and ambition to learn science, and to stimulate the innovative vitality of female scientific and technological talents.

Climb mountains to see the beauty, dive into the sea to explore the depths. On the journey to the stars and the sea, Han Xiqiu is also working hard to spread the light of science to more people, from science classes in colleges and universities to science lectures in oceanariums, actively engaging in various science popularization work. With beautiful language and vivid stories, she tells the scientific mysteries of the sea and the experience of ocean scientific research, which deeply attracts the general public and inspires more and more children to love and cherish the ocean.

▲Open the Douyin APP and scan it to listen to Han Xiqiu's message to the children and participate in the collection activity (Photo provided by: Han Xiqiu)

"I want to plant a seed of science in the hearts of children, and I hope that in the near future, there will be a few marine scientists among them," Han Xiqiu said with a smile, "Before I get too old, let's go together and ride the waves in the deep ocean!"

This is Han Xiqiu, a daughter of the ocean who combines courage and wisdom, gentleness and tenacity.

Produced by: Science Central Kitchen

Produced by: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beijing Science and Technology Media

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