According to CurrentTV an official government license to build submarines has been awarded to 68-year-old Li Yuming. Hailing from Hanyang in Hubei Province, Li possesses only an elementary-level education, but spends all his free time inventing things. The retired shoemaker has built seven submarines and can now build recreational water vehicles, such as submarines and fishing boats—legally. It was Li’s fifth submarine that had a successful voyage: underwater, the three-meter-long steel submersible can carry two adult passengers and one child. This homemade construction can dive to a depth of 65 feet, and Li’s new creation, which is an unmanned submarine, can dive up to 100 feet.

When asked about his latest award he said, “I like challenges, especially those which seem impossible.”

China is known for it crafty commoners. With only a basic elementary education, another man in Beijing also homespun his own sea hoagie by using meat barrels. Tao Xiangli built a one man submarine with several cool attributes, such as a TV set and an outer shell surveillance. Ananova news reported that it took Tao more than a year of research and that the difficult challenge he faced was more financial than logistical.

“The devices for submarines are all expensive, so because I couldn’t afford them I found a lot of inexpensive replacements,” Tao said.

In total, his the submarine costed roughly around 3,200 USD, which is the equivalent of a year’s pay for some of the poorest folk in China. Even with an elementary education, Tao retains over fifteen patents, including a a washing machine, a shoe polisher and a head massager.