As a part of the cult of personality that Mao had built around himself, physical strength and ability was an important part. The media coverage of his swimming in the Yangtze River is only one example of how he demonstrated that he was still a capable leader. However, he was in his 70s when he built the cult around him. During the 1970s, Mao entered his 80s, and his health was not nearly as robust as the way he had it portrayed it to China.