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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Why do so few Chinese know how to swim?
Some of you may be tempted to rip me a new one for asking this, but I dare anyone to prove me otherwise. Most Chinese I know and speak to don't know how to swim and are in fact afraid of being in water if their feet don't touch the ground. And I live in Shenzhen, a warm place with beaches and oceans.
I have wondered the same thing myself. Most of my chinese freinds cannot swim either.
Even though a large proportion of the population live on the east coast, an equally greater number live inland, and those living on the coast do not have easy access to the few beaches there.So for the rest inland and in the inner cities , it really comes down to the exposure they would have to the sea. Granted they could learn at the pool. It's definitely vital to know how to swim and properly . It has saved my life on more than one occasion.
There are a lot of people in other countries who don't know how to swim either. If you don't have access to a body of water, and there's no one to teach you, you're not going to learn. It's not a thing you naturally know, you have to learn. If you don't know how to swim, you're usually afraid of being in the water. At least that's what I have learned from knowing people who don't know how to swim. It has nothing to do with being Chinese.
In Europe, at least, swimming is part of the activities a child learn not only with his parents but also at school.
We used to have 2 hours swimming class since elementary school.
However, in China, swimming, alike many kind of sport activities (basketball, soccer, running, etc), are considered of second or none importance in a child's school curriculum. Moreover, you don't have that many swimming pool facilities even in big cities like Shanghai, as most part of them are private facilities (hotels, fitness clubs).
If you go in public facilities (except maybe Dino Beach), they are pretty dirties and children just play in the water, but no teaching lessons are provided.
That's why the only people you can see swimming are very often old people, and they only swim breaststroke style.
Once I was walking down the street with my in-laws, and my father in law pointed to a polluted, smelly, purple canal with oil streaks and told me he remembered when it was so clear you could see to the bottom, and he used to swim there as a child.
I think it is just not a priority for families here just trying to feed and educate their kids. Most people I know can't swim, but still love the beach.
I often here about tragic stories back home of Chinese exhange students in Canada having accidents when on school outings because they were not able to swim.
I am a little suprised by this line of thought...most of the Chinese that I know do know how to swim. I, however, am the one that does not know how to swim. So really, I think that the question is somewhat paradoxical.
You must have not watched China's Olympic diving team. They have the best divers in the world so they are definitely not afraid of water and they do have to swim a short way to get out of the water after diving. But many people can't swim in all countries not just in China. That's why they hire life guards to protect those who can't swim well from drowning.
Might be something to do with if you jump in to any river lake or ocean around China you come out with an extra head…
Use it towards your advantage. It makes a great date early in a relationship. Builds a lot of trust. She'll have no problem wanting to hold you close when you first get out in the deep water. And it will be something that will stick with her longer than going out to dinner.