Latest news with #ZhangShengwu
Kuwait Times
21-07-2025
- General
- Kuwait Times
Chinese farmer makes splash with homemade submarine
A 60-year-old farmer in China has built his own 'Big Black Fish' -- a homemade submarine that can accommodate two people, dive eight meters and stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time. Zhang Shengwu, a villager in China's eastern Anhui province, recently launched his five-ton sub into the river near his rural home, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday. Footage from CCTV showed Zhang piloting the seven-metre (23-foot) steel craft from its hatch while surfaced and diving down with the hatch closed. After seeing footage of submarine construction on TV in 2014, Zhang, a former carpenter who also worked in shipping, decided to start building his own. 'I've been around the water for many years and seen iron boats and wooden boats, but I had never seen a boat that can dive into the water,' Zhang said. 'I thought, if others can do it, I can do it too.' Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu disconnecting his homemade submarine from a crane in a river in Hanshan county.--AFP photos A homemade submarine made by Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu being lowered into a river in Hanshan county. A homemade submarine piloted by Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu submerged in a river in Hanshan county, in China's eastern Anhui province. Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu making adjustments to his homemade submarine before piloting it in a river . Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu piloting his homemade submarine in a river. A homemade submarine made by Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu being lowered into a river in Hanshan county. Despite his wife's opposition to the 'expensive, risky, useless' idea, Zhang began pursuing his submarine dream, first by spending 5,000 yuan ($700) on steel plates, engines and other materials. The inventor launched his 'first generation' sub in 2016, but it leaked. 'It was like a dream. I was both afraid of it leaking and hoped to go deeper,' Zhang said. Years later, after spending another 40,000 yuan on a new hulking steel structure, pouring two tons of concrete into the bottom of the submarine, and adding two ballast tanks, Zhang's Big Black Fish was ready for sea trials. Unlike the Chinese navy's advanced nuclear-powered submarines that can spend months submerged, Zhang's sub uses a small battery and electric motor, can travel just four knots per hour and needs to surface after half an hour. He plans to build an even bigger submarine in the future. Zhang is not the first Chinese inventor to take a deep dive into submarine construction. In 2015, a villager in China's northern Shaanxi province accumulated a debt of 200,000 yuan to fund the construction of his 9.2-metre-long submarine. In 2009, karaoke bar worker Tao Xiangli cruised around a local reservoir in Beijing in a homemade submarine.--AFP
The Star
20-07-2025
- Science
- The Star
60-year-old farmer in Anhui province, China builds submarine by hand
Zhang Shengwu and his submarine, "Big Black Fish". - Photo: CCTV News BEIJING: Zhang Shengwu, a 60-year-old farmer from Maanshan, Anhui province, successfully built a submarine by himself, which has drawn widespread attention. The 5-metric-ton home-built submarine, named "Big Black Fish", can dive to 8 meters, CCTV News reported. Zhang is a villager from Zhangdu village in Maanshan, Anhui province. He has been fascinated by invention since childhood. Over the years, Zhang has worked in carpentry, welding, and the shipping industry. Over 20 years ago, he returned to his hometown and built a wharf to sell sand, where he spent his days watching cargo ships come and go. Zhang Shengwu's first-generation submarine. - Photo: CCTV News In 2014, Zhang saw a person build a submarine through a TV programme, this inspired him to build one by himself. Despite his family's concerns over the cost and risk, Zhang insisted on building his own submarine. Drawing on his practical experience with boats and handcrafting, Zhang spent about 5,000 yuan (US$700) on materials. It took him six months to build his first submarine, which is 6 meters long, 1.2 meters high and weighs 2 tons. Although his first submarine suffered from sealing issues during submersion, the invention earned him a utility model patent. This submarine earned Zhang a national utility model patent. The only fly in the ointment is that it leaks when submerged. In 2016, he developed a surface vessel that generated minimal waves while in motion. This invention also received a utility model patent. However, this grassroots inventor had a bigger dream, his most ambitious project is the current new generation submarine. He invested over 40,000 yuan ($5,570) into its construction. This new submarine has a length of 7 meters, a height of 1.8 meters, and weighs 5 tons. It can dive to 8 meters, holds a capacity for two people and travels at a minimum speed of 4 nautical miles per hour. To improve its stability, Zhang poured about 2 tons of concrete into the bottom of the submarine and added two ballast tanks at both ends. "There are two ballast tanks, water fills the tanks to dive, and drains to the surface. The concrete provides weight to maintain stability," he explained. He also reinforced all weld points and used silicone and adhesive for watertight sealing. Watching his submarines grow larger and his techniques improve, he dreams of building an even larger, fully functional one. "Only when you try and succeed, you do realize what you're truly capable of," Zhang said. - China Daily/ANN
HKFP
19-07-2025
- HKFP
Big Black Fish: Chinese farmer makes splash with homemade submarine
A 60-year-old farmer in China has built his own 'Big Black Fish' — a homemade submarine that can accommodate two people, dive eight metres and stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time. Zhang Shengwu, a villager in China's eastern Anhui province, recently launched his five-ton sub into the river near his rural home, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday. Footage from CCTV showed Zhang piloting the seven-metre (23-foot) steel craft from its hatch while surfaced and diving down with the hatch closed. After seeing footage of submarine construction on TV in 2014, Zhang, a former carpenter who also worked in shipping, decided to start building his own. 'I've been around the water for many years and seen iron boats and wooden boats, but I had never seen a boat that can dive into the water,' Zhang said. 'I thought, if others can do it, I can do it too.' Despite his wife's opposition to the 'expensive, risky, useless' idea, Zhang began pursuing his submarine dream, first by spending 5,000 yuan (US$700) on steel plates, engines and other materials. The inventor launched his 'first generation' sub in 2016, but it leaked. 'It was like a dream. I was both afraid of it leaking and hoped to go deeper,' Zhang said. Years later, after spending another 40,000 yuan on a new hulking steel structure, pouring two tons of concrete into the bottom of the submarine, and adding two ballast tanks, Zhang's Big Black Fish was ready for sea trials. Unlike the Chinese navy's advanced nuclear-powered submarines that can spend months submerged, Zhang's sub uses a small battery and electric motor, can travel just four knots per hour and needs to surface after half an hour. He plans to build an even bigger submarine in the future. Zhang is not the first Chinese inventor to take a deep dive into submarine construction. In 2015, a villager in China's northern Shaanxi province accumulated a debt of 200,000 yuan to fund the construction of his 9.2-metre-long submarine. In 2009, karaoke bar worker Tao Xiangli cruised around a local reservoir in Beijing in a homemade submarine.
South China Morning Post
18-07-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Chinese farmer turns inventor with homemade 7-metre submarine
On a quiet river in central China's Anhui province, villagers in Hanshan county stopped to stare as a sleek black shape sliced through the water with a low mechanical growl. Advertisement It was not a military test or an industrial prototype. It was a home-made submarine – designed, built, and piloted by Zhang Shengwu , a 60-year-old farmer with no engineering degree and no blueprint to follow. Zhang's boatbuilding has become a viral sensation in China. Photo: Handout 'I'd watched boats all my life,' Zhang told Dawan News, a government-affiliated outlet, referring to the years he spent managing a tiny riverside dock in his village. 'But I always felt something was missing.' Fascinated by invention since childhood, he had often dreamed of building machines that were beyond the means of his rural life. But it was not until 2014, when a programme on state broadcaster CCTV featured a submarine slipping beneath the waves, that one idea took hold with irresistible force. The homemade submarine made by Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu is lowered into a river in Hanshan county on July 2. Photo: AFP 'I'd seen wooden boats and iron boats,' he said. 'But never one that could go underwater.' Within days, he had scraped together 5,000 yuan (US$700), bought steel plates, a battery and an engine – and began building in secret while his wife was away caring for his mother-in-law. Advertisement
Malay Mail
17-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Making DIY history: Chinese farmer builds his own submarine and takes it for a spin in local river
BEIJING, July 18 — A 60-year-old farmer in China has built his own 'Big Black Fish'— a homemade submarine that can accommodate two people, dive eight metres and stay underwater for 30 minutes at a time. Zhang Shengwu, a villager in China's eastern Anhui province, recently launched his five-ton sub into the river near his rural home, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday. Footage from CCTV showed Zhang piloting the seven-metre (23-foot) steel craft from its hatch while surfaced and diving down with the hatch closed. After seeing footage of submarine construction on TV in 2014, Zhang, a former carpenter who also worked in shipping, decided to start building his own. 'I've been around the water for many years and seen iron boats and wooden boats, but I had never seen a boat that can dive into the water,' Zhang said. 'I thought, if others can do it, I can do it too.' Despite his wife's opposition to the 'expensive, risky, useless' idea, Zhang began pursuing his submarine dream, first by spending 5,000 yuan (RM2,958) on steel plates, engines and other materials. The inventor launched his 'first generation' sub in 2016, but it leaked. 'It was like a dream. I was both afraid of it leaking and hoped to go deeper,' Zhang said. Years later, after spending another 40,000 yuan on a new hulking steel structure, pouring two tons of concrete into the bottom of the submarine, and adding two ballast tanks, Zhang's Big Black Fish was ready for sea trials. This photo taken on July 2, 2025 shows a homemade submarine piloted by Chinese farmer Zhang Shengwu submerged in a river in Hanshan county. — AFP pic Unlike the Chinese navy's advanced nuclear-powered submarines that can spend months submerged, Zhang's sub uses a small battery and electric motor, can travel just four knots per hour and needs to surface after half an hour. He plans to build an even bigger submarine in the future. Zhang is not the first Chinese inventor to take a deep dive into submarine construction. In 2015, a villager in China's northern Shaanxi province accumulated a debt of 200,000 yuan to fund the construction of his 9.2-metre-long submarine. In 2009, karaoke bar worker Tao Xiangli cruised around a local reservoir in Beijing in a homemade submarine. — AFP
