Chairman Mao Zedong (front), surrounded by his bodyguards, swims in the Yangtze River on July 16,1966. Picture: AFPChairman Mao Zedong (front), surrounded by his bodyguards, swims in the Yangtze River on July 16,1966. Picture: AFP
Chairman Mao Zedong (front), surrounded by his bodyguards, swims in the Yangtze River on July 16,1966. Picture: AFP
Post Magazine /  Long Reads

Chairman Mao’s historic swim – glorified in China but ridiculed by the rest of the world

Fifty years ago, Mao Zedong’s ‘world-record-breaking’ swim in the Yangtze River signalled the return of the Great Helmsman. Other state leaders have since tried to use the sport as a demonstration of power, with varying results

Stuart Heaver
Stuart Heaver

Updated: 1:01pm, 16 Jul, 2018

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Chairman Mao Zedong (front), surrounded by his bodyguards, swims in the Yangtze River on July 16,1966. Picture: AFPChairman Mao Zedong (front), surrounded by his bodyguards, swims in the Yangtze River on July 16,1966. Picture: AFP
Chairman Mao Zedong (front), surrounded by his bodyguards, swims in the Yangtze River on July 16,1966. Picture: AFP
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