[2] The following season saw him gain significant playing time as a substitute, which also led to him scoring his first goal for the club on 15 September 2008 in a 2–1 win against Dalian Shide.
Zou scored his first goal for the club on 20 June 2015 in a 2–1 win against Shandong Luneng Taishan; however, he was also sent off during stoppage time.
On 17 December 2015, Zou suffered a fibula fracture and dislocation of an ankle joint in his left leg during the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup semifinals against Barcelona when he was knocked off balance by Luis Suárez.
[14] On 28 February 2019, Zou transferred to fellow top tier side Guangzhou R&F, signing a three-year contract.
[15] Zou made his debut for the Chinese national team on 8 September 2015 in a 3-0 win against Maldives during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.