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