“Swimming” was a poem written by Chairman Mao Zedong in June 1956.
I apologise for the poor audio quality, I found this version on Bilibili and it was the only one that sounded as though it fit the aesthetic of the video. Thank you to @zhonghuaxiansheng for captioning this video and assisting with the translation.
On May 31st 1956, 62-year-old Mao Zedong visited Wuhan to oversee the construction of the “Wuhan-Yangtze River Bridge”. While Mao observed the construction, he decided to take a swim in the cool waters of the vast Yangtze. He spent two hours in the water in which he covered a total of 15 kilometres. Inspired by his experience, Chairman Mao wrote the poem “Swimming”. The Chairman’s first feat in the Yangtze River was turned into an annual swim in China in commemoration of it. Chairman Mao would go on to swim the Yangtze an additional 10 times between 1956 and 1962. The 16th of July 1966, 57 years ago from today, marked the eleventh annual celebration of Mao’s first swim in the river; Completely unannounced, Mao Zedong made a surprise appearance at the event at took on the great Yangtze once again. Chairman Mao rode the tides of the Yangtze in the company of 5,000 adoring young people; Some in rafts and boats cheering the Chairman on, others swimming alongside him. While he swam, Mao Zedong joked around with the masses and even taught a young woman how to do the backstroke. The strong downstream currents of the Yangtze River enabled Mao to cover over nine miles (Roughly 14 kilometres) in just 65 minutes. Mao stressed the benefits and importance of regular exercise, saying “Any form of exercise, if pursued continuously, will help train us in perseverance”. His swim was a symbol to the people of China that he was in robust condition and ready to lead China in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. The Chairman’s 1966 swim was now the new major annual event of commemoration. Throughout China, people would gather to celebrate the Chairman’s swim in rivers all across the country. In 1967, there were 50,000 swimmers in lakes in Beijing alone. In China today, the Chairman’s swim is still commemorated annually.
