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The earliest records about swim in the history of China Is in the books of theispring-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. " China has a Hot of rivers and lakes, especially, in the south, which is called "A Southern land that abounds in rivers and lakes." Wars broke out frequent-By 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. The water-borne forces were to fight on water specially, so falling into water was unavoidable. Those who could not swim would certainly be drowned. Thus, the water-borne forces stressed the soldiers'swimming training. 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. In them, it can be seen some warriors backstroking, some swimming underwater and some fighting at close quarters with weapons. From then on, water-borne force is an important part in the army in Chinese history. Records show in the reign of Emperor Wudi of the Western Han, he was a-bout to send armed forces to suDDress Kunmina State. so a 40-li sauared Kunming Lake in the southwest of Chang'an was dug to make the warriors practice swimming, rowing and underwater swimming etc, there every day. When If came to the Northern Song, in order to suppress the Southern states, a man-made lake-Jin ming Lake of 9 li in girth was dug particularly in the Northwest of the Capital Bianliang training the water-borne forces there. 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.
