For over a decade now, one worker in the city of Wuhan has managed to cut his daily commute in half by swimming across the Yangtze River.
53-year-old Zhu Biwu works at a market in the city’s Wuchang district but lives across the river in Hanyang district. If he were to take the metro to work, the trip would take him about an hour. Instead, he swims 2,200 meters across the Yangtze so that he arrives at the office after 30 minutes.
Zhu first started making this unusual commute back in 2008, spurred not only to save time but also to stay in shape. In 1999, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and weighed over 100 kg. He took up swimming in order to get fit.
While swimming across the dirty, crowded waterway might not seem the safest way of getting some exercise, Zhu says that there’s no danger for him from the boats and barges, which are familiar with his route. Before starting his swim, he packs his clothes and belongings into an inflatable bag which also serves as a lifebuoy.
Earlier this year, an office worker in Chongqing went viral for taking a similar time-saving route across the Yangtze to work, but doing so via paddleboard. If you travel farther upstream, you can also attempt to shorten your commute by jumping your vehicle across the Yangtze.
