College students in Shanghai have been told they can pass a vital swimming test - remotely from home.
Would-be graduates have been advised that because of strict Covid lock-down rules, they are not allowed to go to a public pool - so they can do it on-line instead.
Many have vowed to complete the 50-metre pool swim in their baths and submit video footage to prove it.
Shanghai University said the bizarre course was designed to "ensure that the graduation process proceeds smoothly" in a post on the school's website which has now been deleted.
China's leading universities want students to master swimming - which they consider an essential skill, the South China Morning Post reports.
But unable to complete the survival skill while locked down, students were asked to fill out a "Basic Theory of Swimming Test".
The odd requirement was widely ridiculed after going viral on China's Weibo social media platform, racking up over 120 million views.
Weibo users said it was "embarrassing" for such a "reputable university" to ask for a theory test on how to swim.
One quipped: "Are the students supposed to swim in their bathtubs?"
Other users posted joke submissions as they pretended to "dive" and "swim" in their bedrooms while wearing goggles and a swimsuit.
It came less than a week before Shanghai ended its draconian lockdown, which involved authorities building cages around homes and relocating entire neighbourhoods.
At the end of April, residents were seen smashing through a cordon in a desperate bid for food and supplies amid what has been branded the world's strictest lockdown to date.
Footage showed masses of people racing for food and medical supplies, as 26 million people face lockdown with China once again gripped by a wave of Covid spreading through the population.
People could be seen pushing towards a dismantled barrier and forcing themselves past officials dressed in PPE.
A few days later, horrifying videos emerged showing giant green bin bags stuffed with cats and dogs due to official fears that pets were spreading the virus.
The awful clip shows huge rubbish bags sitting on the side of the pavement as live cats move around inside.
The video was first shared on Twitter accompanied with the caption: "26 million people in lockdown in Shanghai.
"People are committing suicide from their balconies and pets from people getting tested positive for #Covid are being collected to be killed and slaughtered in #Shanghai / #China This is pure evil!"
Another clip released last week showed a health care worker beating a pet corgi to death after its owner tested positive for Covid.
