Every summer, especially in July, I can't help thinking of 7 16, which is the anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong's 7 16 inspection of the Yangtze River.
Crossing the Yangtze River was my boyhood dream, and swimming in the Yangtze River was my wish from learning to swim!
I was born in the 1960s, and lived in Wuhan in the south of the Yangtze River for four years in the 1970s, where I spent most of my primary school time.
At that time, I lived in Jianshe New Village, Wuchang District, close to the river. In summer, I will play there with my family, or my classmates and friends. I look forward to the early arrival of July 16.
In order to commemorate Chairman Mao's visit to the Yangtze River, large-scale celebrations are basically held on both sides of Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge every July 16. On the day of the event, people were in an endless stream and very lively. I remember a plane flying in the sky, and there were many colorful balloons flying in the air. On the river, there will be many swimmers crossing in rows from here. The crowd watching by the river was in high spirits, laughing and clapping. The atmosphere is very warm, just like celebrating the Spring Festival. It was also the warm scene at that time, which made my mind have the idea of when I could cross the rolling Yangtze River like an adult.
When can I dream? When can I realize my wish when I was young? For me who have been working and living in the north for a long time, the difficulty of realizing my dream can be imagined. Fortunately, since the beginning of the new century, the national development situation is good, all walks of life are rising, and all-round fitness activities are no exception. In 2009, the Wuhan Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal People's Government set the annual crossing time as "July 16", and in 2065, 438+04, the China Swimming Association set the week of July 16 as "National Swimming Fitness Week", and launched an initiative to carry out mass swimming fitness activities extensively. This initiative deeply attracted me, moved me, and made me really start the journey to realize my dream. Finally, in the second year, that is, July 20 15 16, my classmate He Zong and I took part in the 42nd International Yangtze River Crossing Challenge and successfully swam 6000m along the Yangtze River.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, my classmate He Zong and I joined the second team, which is made up of citizens who love swimming in Wuhan. There are ten groups in the team. Manager He and I are in the tenth group, the last group, next to the captain. The captain is two years older than me, and his skin is dark. It is estimated that he crossed the river all the year round. He is well-proportioned, well-built, confident and has a typical Wuhan accent. After learning about my situation, he enthusiastically explained to me his rich experience in crossing the river over the years, such as what to do when encountering rapids at the mouth of Hanjiang River, what to do when the river is fast and slow, how to deal with leg cramps and so on. His concern made my heart suddenly have a bottom. After all, this is my first attempt to swim in the Yangtze River in half a century!
Nearly ten o'clock, our team began to get ready to go, and all the teammates with airbags on their backs were full of energy. They entered the water in groups from Hanyangkou Wharf and advanced in the form of breaststroke. After swimming for about twenty or thirty minutes, I swam to the mouth of the Han River on the other side, where the Han River and the Yangtze River meet. The river is so fast that I swim like hell. I immediately adjusted the frequency of breathing, paddling and kicking, and quickly adapted to the rhythm of the river. After crossing the mouth of the Han River, the speed of the river slowed down. We walked along the river bank, passed the Three Gorges Stone Square and the Municipal Square, and finally swam to Sanyang Square at the end. It only took us more than 50 minutes to complete the 6000-meter journey, not counting the time to line up the formation halfway. As soon as we landed, we all shouted with open arms. After the victory, every swimmer's face was filled with the joy of victory. Everyone wants to say something. Especially when I was interviewed by a reporter, I almost became a "Mai Ba", which seemed to tell all the feelings of other swimmers ... I believe that such an exciting scene and such an exciting experience may still be the driving force for our future progress after several years.
In order to successfully swim 6000 meters across the Yangtze River, we formed a small team of five people, all high school classmates, before going to Wuhan. Besides myself, the other four are Mr. He, Professor Zhu and a reporter. Manager He and I took part in the tour, and the other three were in charge of logistics support. The professor and the reporter are female classmates. The professor is good at organizing sports, and the reporter has just returned from abroad and loves photography. He is always a good swimmer. When I was a teenager, I participated in swimming competitions organized by the city, won the ranking, and liked to help others. Especially when crossing the river, he always encourages me to establish the belief of winning. Here I want to focus on bamboo. Bamboo was strong in high school and good at sprinting. At every school sports meeting, 100 meters is among the best. The airbag on my body is still all bamboo. But who would have thought that such a man with strong physique and inner strength was a patient with malignant tumor for more than two years after operation, and left us less than two years after crossing the Yangtze River. He joined Changyou Group this time, and he is also realizing a wish-to travel all over the country all his life without regrets.
Six years ago, on July 16, we all got up early and excitedly went to the Hanyangmen Wharf, the starting point for a swim. Although the weather was bad and it rained on cloudy days, the athletes from all provinces wearing swimsuits were in high spirits, talking and laughing, and taking photos with each other as a souvenir. The drone hovered back and forth overhead, and we cooperated with the following victory gesture. Everyone wants to keep this unforgettable moment.
Time flies, six years have passed. Looking back now, the scene at that time is still vivid. Those full feelings, those flying emotions and the spirit of helping each other are so worth remembering, thinking about and being grateful. I thank myself for being willing to challenge and struggle for half a century, and I am even more grateful to my classmates and swimmers who have supported and helped me. Without their enthusiastic help, I would not have successfully realized my childhood dream.
(Proofreading: Xu Gospel)