Zhou started as an exchange student at the University of Tokyo, later transferring to Kyoto University due to his admiration of the Japanese Marxist economist Hajime Kawakami, who was a professor there at the time.
Zhou awalnya mengikuti program pertukaran pelajar di Universitas Tokyo kemudian pindah ke Universitas Kyoto karena kekagumannya terhadap ekonom Marxis Jepang, Hajime Kawakami, yang merupakan seorang profesor di sana pada waktu itu.