Building Dreams in the Deep Sea

China's economic boom is just around the corner, and the banner of technological development is rising with it.

Starting from scratch, a group of marine and mining researchers led by Meng Qianli work tirelessly through countless hardships to develop China's first domestically made deep-sea drilling rig, the "Hai Niu 1." China thereby joins the ranks of nations exploring seabed mineral deposits in international waters.

To meet the challenge of exploring and extracting combustible ice, a new clean energy source, Meng Qianli and his research team set out once again. They weather the departure of key team members and a spy scandal, then develop the "Hai Niu 2," a deep-sea, large-borehole pressure-retaining core sampling drill. They continue improving its performance, ultimately setting a new world record for drilling depth.