After 156 days at sea and a journey spanning more than 40,000 kilometers – roughly the same as circling Earth's equator – the scientific research ship Tansuo-1 returned to south China's Guangzhou on Sunday with major deep-ocean discoveries.

The vessel carried the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), which completed 63 dives, including 50 deeper than 6,000 meters, during a groundbreaking Pacific expedition and the first China-Chile joint crewed exploration of the Atacama Trench.

Scientists from six countries, including China, Chile, Germany, Denmark, Canada and Spain, collected rare biological and geological samples and captured stunning high-definition footage from some of the deepest places on Earth.