Almost every afternoon, one resident of Wuhan, China, ambles down the stairs beneath the city’s majestic Yangtze River Bridge, completes an elaborate warm-up, checks his watch and plunges headlong into China’s longest river.
Most residents rarely leave their homes in the locked-down city of 11 million people, where the coronavirus outbreak began. The rhythms of everyday life — work, school, shopping, commuting — have been suspended, but Lu Jianjun, 53, has persisted in his daily ritual.
“A healthy body is an asset for the revolution,” he said, citing a motto coined by Mao Zedong. “Chairman Mao loved to swim in the Yangtze — right here, actually. We should do the same, no matter what happens.”
The coronavirus that has infected nearly 50,000 Wuhan residents and killed more than 2,250, but “the hospitals haven’t made a cent from me,” Mr. Lu said. “I haven’t had a cold or fever for nearly 30 years.”
After the government implemented emergency controls in January and shut down public transportation, the other swimmers in Wuhan disappeared. “Usually, there’s a dozen or more of us every afternoon,” Mr. Lu said. “Before they shut down the city, there were several of us still swimming.”
“Now it’s just me,” he added.
Mr. Lu grunted dismissively at younger people hesitant to jump in the river. He made sure that his son and nephews became strong swimmers. “Why stop swimming?” he said. “Of course, it helps! Everyone’s immunity is different, but no matter what, swimming helps. Look at my health.”