Charles Zhang, founder, chairman and CEO of Sohu.com, recently announced his plan to undertake an 8-kilometer swimming challenge across the Nan'ao Island strait on September 14. He stated that this challenge represents not only a test of his personal physical limits but also serves as a warm-up for the upcoming autumn Sohu Video broadcaster conference. Sohu Video will provide live coverage of the entire crossing challenge.

Despite the numerous difficulties this crossing presents, Zhang expressed confidence in completing the challenge. He believes that "life is about movement, and living means you must make waves."

The upcoming September 14 challenge across the Longmen Bay strait of Nan'ao Island, featuring an 8-kilometer breaststroke swim, represents another personal breakthrough for Zhang following last year's 4.15-kilometer challenge in Weihai Bay. When asked why he chose this timing for such a challenge, Zhang candidly explained that this swimming challenge serves not only as a personal goal but also relates to promoting the autumn Sohu Video broadcaster conference. He revealed, "The autumn Sohu Video broadcaster conference will be held on September 21, so this swim is also a way of showing support."

Zhang indicated that while this challenge covers a longer distance, it doesn't represent a daunting task for him. However, he emphasized the multiple risks this challenge presents: including hypothermia from cold seawater, continuous sneezing caused by nasal exposure to cold water, and the need to guard against jellyfish stings, complex ocean currents, and wave interference. After training, he further explained that open water temperatures typically range from 25°C to 26°C, creating a 10°C difference with body temperature. Due to the highly efficient heat conduction between skin and water, swimming continuously for over an hour poses serious hypothermia risks—which explains why the English Channel, with year-round water temperatures of 10°C to 18°C and a crossing distance of nearly 40 kilometers, is considered an extreme challenge.

To prepare for this 8-kilometer crossing, Zhang has entered a high-intensity training phase of "running 5 kilometers one day, swimming 5 kilometers the next," which he has maintained for a month.

"Making waves" is a key phrase Zhang repeatedly mentions. "It's not just celebrities who should make waves; ordinary people should too. In the era of video self-media, everyone can have an audience, even if it's just their circle of friends."

Zhang encourages everyone to "make waves" by showcasing their skills and passions on social platforms, achieving self-worth and cognitive improvement through audience interaction. Drawing from his own experience, he discussed how teaching physics courses through live streaming on Sohu Video's "Follow Stream" for nearly four years has significantly improved his physics knowledge through a "research while teaching" approach. "Your communication with the audience is actually a thinking process. The human brain grows through linguistic communication. Don't think you're not ready—just do it!"

Regarding the commitment to rigorous derivation style in "Charles Zhang's Physics Class," Zhang emphasized that content accuracy should take priority over easy-to-understand expression, "because in the video self-media era, everything is recorded. If live content isn't fully understood, viewers can watch replays for review, with search engines and AI tools available for assistance."

He explained that "Charles Zhang's Physics Class" live replay sessions typically exceed one hour, falling into the long-form video category, though they can also be edited into short videos of several seconds. He revealed that his fourth physics book, focusing on general relativity, is expected to be published in October or November. The year-end New Year's speech will also continue to center on physics, "possibly covering cosmology."