Chinese Traditional Swimming（1）

传统的中国游泳（1）

Swim in military affairs

游泳在军事上的应用

The earliest records about swim in the history of China is in the books of the Spring-and-Autumn Period. It says in “The Book of Odes”“Row across it if it is deep and swim across it when it is shallow.”

中国历史上关于游泳的记载可从《诗经》中读到:“就其深矣，方之舟之；就其浅矣，泳之游之。”

China has a lot of rivers and lakes，especially，in the south，which is called“A Southern land that abounds in rivers and lakes.”

中国是一个多江河湖泊的国家，尤其是中国的南方，历来有“江南泽国”之称。
Wars broke out frequently during the periods of the Spring-and-Autumn and the Warring States. Some states then discovered water communication faster and safer than land communication and founded the special forces-water-borne forces，which is same to the modern navy.

春秋战国时期战争频繁，一些国家看到水路运输比陆路运输快捷、安全，便建立了特殊的部队——水师，就是现代的海军。

The water-borne forces were to fight on water specially, so falling into water was unavoidable.

水师是专门在水上作战的部队。既然在水上作战，就难免落水。

Those who could not swim would certainly be drowned.Thus，the water-borne forces stressed the soldiers’ swimming training.

如果落水者不会游泳就必死无疑。所以，水师对士兵的游泳训练极为重视。

The pictures on a bronze kettle in the Warring States Period that is unearthed in Sichuan describe the scenes of water and land wars then.

在四川出土的一个战国时期的铜壶上的图案向我们展示了当时水陆攻占的场面。

In them，it can be seen some warriors backstroking，some swimming underwater and some fighting at close quarters with weapons.

图中，有的战士在浮泳，有的在潜泳，有的在水中厮杀。

From then on，water-borne force is an important part in the army in Chinese history.

在中国历史上，水师一直是军队中一支重要的力量。

Records show in the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han，he was about to send armed forces to suppress Kunming Stateso a 40-1i squared Kunming Lake in the southwest of Chang’ an was dug to make the warriors practice swimming，rowing and underwater swimming etc. there every day.

根据历史记载，西汉武帝时，因准备南下讨伐昆明国，就在长安西南开凿了方圆达40里的昆明池，天天让水师在里面练习游泳、划船、潜水等技术。

When it came to the Northern Song，in order to suppress the Southern states，a man-made lake-Jinming Lake of 9 Ii in girth was dug particularly in the Northwest of the Capital Bianliang training the water-borne forces there.

北宋时，出于平定南方诸国的需要，也专门在汴梁的西北挖了一个周长九里的湖——金明池，专门操练水师。

Besides，the functions of those soldiers who were good at swimming can be seen in the wars，such as the war in Chibi in the period of the Three Kingdoms，the war between Tang and Liang in the period of Five Dynasties and Ten States，and the Anti-Japanese Pirates War in the Ming dynasty etc.

除此之外，三国时期的赤壁之战，五代于国时期的唐梁之战，明朝时期的抗倭战争，等等，都可以看到擅长游泳的战士在其中所起的作用。