All his life, Mao would follow his own prescription and swim wherever he could. Moreover, Mao's penchant for water made swimming an accepted physical activity for many Chinese. In 1956, Mao swam in the Yangtse River for the first time. It inspired him to compose the poem "Swimming" to celebrate the joys of beating a wake through the waves and turned the dip into a memorable feat. Moreover, a famous Mao quote has been frequently cited: "We must learn to swim by swimming".
 
On 16 July 1966, a great Crossing-the-Yangtse event was organized in Wuhan to commemorate the event. Mao showed up to stress his support for this exercise and plopped down from his boat to float downstream for over an hour. During his dip, he exchanged jokes with the masses and taught a woman how to perform the backstroke swim. The happening was covered extensively by the Chinese mass media. It was widely interpreted as a demonstration that Mao, although residing in Shanghai, far removed from the focus of power, was physically fit and able to lead China on its revolutionary course. This played a major role in his bid to regain power during the Cultural Revolution. It is hard to explain why so many dictators like to swim and it is said that Mao still holds the world record in the 5-mile swim (in 25 minutes). I am skeptical about this "miracle".
 
Mao's swim became a major yearly event of commemoration, giving thousands the opportunity to express their boundless devotion to the Chairman. They would jump enthusiastically in the water to do their bit. Not only in Wuhan, at the very spot where Mao entered the waters, but also in the sea, and in various rivers and lakes across the country. On the first anniversary, in 1967, there were 50,000 swimmers in lakes all over Beijing alone. Even in last December, 40 winter swimmers in Southwest China's Chongqing swam across the river with a picture of Mao to commemorate Mao's 111th birthday.