Nope, I had no school option, and no lake or river around home where I could learn. I went with my parents to the seaside a few days every year, but my dad didn’t teach me. When I had kids of my own, it was on the “must” list: teach to ride bike, make sure they can swim.
First time I heard of Gitee, I don’t think it’s that popular. Also, their website appears to be in Chinese only.
Gitea on the other hand is pretty popular, but after some controversial decisions, Forgejo was born and it started getting a lot of traction.