As China cleans its city rivers, locals begin to paddle back in

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  The world is changing fast that you can learn it at a slower pace.

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  Special English.

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  Here's the news.

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  In cities across China, dredged canals and re-open routes are drawing commuters,

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  hobbyists, and influencers back to the water.

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  Li Wei was half joking when he said he'd kayak to work until he tried it one day in the summer of 2023 and he hasn't stopped

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  since.

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  The 39-year-old business director now paddles six kilometers through Shanghai's Pudongnu area each morning.

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  Li said that kayaking kickstarts his morning with energy and the evening returns turn rush hour into a journey of quiet aerobic calm.

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  Paddle after paddle, the rhythm clears his mind.

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  He mapped the route himself,

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  threading narrow creeks between office parks and residential blocks on waterways long unused for daily commutes.

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  With cleanup campaigns gaining momentum, and long blocked waterways reopening across China,

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  an increasing number of local residents are beginning to use them again for commutes,

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  exercise, or simply getting around.

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  In southern China's Guangzhou, stand-up paddleboarders enjoy Baiyun Lake and Haiju Lake,

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  with local clubs offering family-friendly programs.

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  East China's Hangzhou opened 10 urban waterways for public use in 2023,

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  sparking a wave of public interest in kayaking, paddleboarding, and rowing in nearby Suzhou.

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