FROM swimming pool to the sea, Liu Mingyi, a 62-year-old man who lives in Nanshan District, has made another personal feat by swimming across the Yangtze River, the longest river in China, in July.

Liu retired in 2015. Although he would play chess with neighbors and friends or play cards online, he didn’t find much gusto in these activities.

Swimming sprang up in his mind. At first, Liu worried that he was a bit “too old” to learn to swim, but did not expect that a swimming team he had signed up to learn had more than 70 elderly members. “When I saw them persist in exercising though in old age, my enthusiasm in swimming began to lift up,” Liu said with a laugh.

He has persisted in swimming for 1.5 hours a day with his teammates. And breaststroke is his favorite swimming stroke.

After he built up strength, Liu began to challenge the open waters almost every month. He swam across the 6,000-meter Yangtze River in his favorite breaststroke in Wuhan, Hubei Province, on July 16.

Before the crossing, Liu and his teammates not only had to take swimming strength tests, but also receive specific training concerning the crossing routes, the coordinates and emergency assistance methods.

Liu is not content with swimming alone. He has also encouraged his family to join him. His wife got the hang of swimming in three days under his guidance. “We feel uncomfortable if we skip swimming for a day. No matter how tired we are, we feel relaxed in the water,” Liu said. His daughter-in-law has also followed them to go swimming.

Liu has made his life fulfilling with action. “A life like this is fun after retirement,” he said.

(Zhang Yu)