Liang Quanhua, a 49-year-old man from Nantou Town, Zhongshan City, became the first person to have swum across the Qiongzhou Strait on the afternoon of May 2.

A total of 11 swimming lovers including Liang Quanhua from across the country took part in the 38km Cross-Qiongzhou Strait Swimming activity under the organization of the Haikou city authorities, said Liang. They entered the water at Haikou City, Hainan Province at 5:52 am on May 2, and arrived at the coast of Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City of Guangdong Province about 12 hours later.

Liang Quanhua is a police officer who once served in the army. He kept exercising and he is good at swimming, for which he ever participated in a number of competitions and won several prizes.

It is learned that the Qiongzhou Strait lies between the Hainan Island and Leizhou Peninsula. It is one of China's three major straits, with an average width of 29.5 kilometers. Qiongzhou Strait is known as "the Water Everest" among domestic swimming fans. Only less than 400 people have swum across the Qiongzhou Strait since 2000.