Crossing the Pearl River is a traditional sports activity in Guangzhou. In as early as 1930, Guangzhou has organized group activities of crossing the Pearl River. In 1956, during his visit to Guangzhou, Chairman Mao took a swim in the Pearl River, an act that fully captures his heroic temperament.
Swimming in the Pearl River was a fun activity of many Guangzhou citizens. However, in the 1980s, due to severe pollution of the river, such activities were no longer held. In 1998, Li Changchun, the then Party Secretary of Guangdong made a proposal of resuming this traditional activity. In 2006, the municipal government of Guangzhou held the activity of "Thousand People Crossing the Pearl River", ever since which Crossing the Pearl River has become an annual event in Guangzhou.
※ Location: the river section between Sun Yat-sen University North Pier and Xinghai Concert Hall.
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