VOA · Health & Lifestyle
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01From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle Report.
02Even as temperatures kept dropping in China's northeastern ice city of Harbin, excitement rose among a group of swimmers who enjoy jumping into freezing waters.
03The daily event, known as ice swimming, is a winter tradition in Harbin.
04Swimmers train daily throughout the year to get their bodies ready for the unusual swim.
05Reporters from the Associated Press recently visited the city and spoke with some of the swimmers.
06To create a pool in the Songhua River, the swimmers first had to break a 10-centimeter thick cover of ice.
07Then they removed the ice pieces, took off all clothes except bathing suits, and prepared to enter.
08One by one, they jumped into a freezing 10-meter-long pool.
09Some of the swimmers reported that their legs and arms quickly went numb after entering the water.
10The outside temperature was about minus 13 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature remained near freezing.
11One of the swimmers was Chen Xia.
12She came from Zhejiang province, about 1,700 kilometers further south.
13She decided to jump into the river, even though she had a cold.
14Chen said the winter waters where she lives are warmer than those in Harbin.
15She said the experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming.
16She has been taking part in the activity for about 20 years.
17The 56-year-old Chen said the freezing waters made her skin feel like small pins were attacking her body.
18But she added that the experience still brought her happiness.
19I felt prickling all over my body, but it still made me feel blissful, she said.
20Yu Xiaofeng lives in Harbin, a city that sits near the border with Russia.
21The 61-year-old said winter swimming in the city dates back to the 1970s.
22At that time, locals saw Russian Orthodox religious believers being baptized in the river.
23Later in 1983, an official winter swimming group was established in Harbin.
24The city also holds an ongoing winter celebration, known for its huge detailed ice and snow sculptures.
25Winter swimming is considered a sport in China, but it gained popularity much faster in Harbin than in other parts of the country.
26Today, Yu said the city is considered a holy land for winter swimming.
27Yu said the winter swimmers appear to have better health than others.
28She added that she has felt a great sense of family and joy in the community during her 30 years of winter swimming.
29While the AP reporters did not quote medical experts for this story, some of the swimmers said they believe ice swimming is good for their health.
30During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group even came up with a new saying to describe the experience.
31They would rather suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital, Yu said.
32Yu De Cong is a 76-year-old winter swimmer, who said he believes the activity helps keep him healthy.
33He noted that he has never caught a cold.
34Yu added, If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable.
35And that's the Health and Lifestyle Report.
36I'm Ana Mateo.
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