In 2014, a former reader took Zhou and his wife on a journey across western China, traveling through Qinghai province and all the way to the foot of Mount Qomolangma on the Tibetan Plateau. "The car bounced along gravel roads so badly that our backsides ached. We circled Qinghai Lake, and I dipped my hand into its water," said Zhou.

What left the deepest impression, however, was their visit to the Jinyintan Grassland in Qinghai, the site of China's first nuclear weapons research and development base, where Deng Jiaxian, one of the country's leading theoretical physicists and its foremost nuclear weapons scientist, worked in extremely harsh conditions in the 1950s and 60s.

"Sometimes at night, Deng would lie awake, thinking through complex problems in complete darkness. I suppose that's how I felt as well — groping my way out of uncertainty, trusting thought to be its own light."

"The process is solitary," he said, "like knocking on a door, patiently, until it opens."

Describing himself as "gentle but obstinate — just like my father", Zhou lives with his wife and his 88-year-old mother, both of whom help him locate materials, particularly during the writing of his book, a project he began in 2013.

"It took me four years to complete the original edition of Mathematics in Physics," Zhou said. "I then began revising and expanding it into a three-volume work. The first volume was published in 2023, followed by the second late last year. I am now working toward completing the final volume."

In preparing the books, Zhou dictated while student volunteers typed everything down. They would then read the text back to him, allowing him to check for accuracy. "I can use a keyboard but not a mouse, which creates real difficulties," he said. "Without their help, I could never have written these books."

Asked why he would want to do this, Zhou said, "I just hope others can walk a smoother path than I did."