People in China Swim in Freezing River for Health, Happiness
2025-01-17
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
2Even 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.
3The daily event, known as ice swimming, is a winter tradition in Harbin.
4Swimmers train daily throughout the year to get their bodies ready for the unusual swim.
5Reporters from The Associated Press recently visited the city and spoke with some of the swimmers.
6To create a pool in the Songhua River, the swimmers first had to break a 10-centimeter thick cover of ice.
7Then they removed the ice pieces, took off all clothes except bathing suits and prepared to enter.
8One by one, they jumped into a freezing, 10-meter-long pool.
9Some 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.
19"I 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.
26But it gained popularity much faster in Harbin than in other parts of the country.
27Today, Yu said the city is considered a "holy land" for winter swimming.
28Yu said the winter swimmers appear to have better health than others.
29She added that she has felt a great sense of family and joy in the community during her 30 years of winter swimming.
30While 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.
31During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group even came up with a new saying to describe the experience.
32 They would rather "suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital," Yu said.
33You Decang is a 76-year-old winter swimmer who said he believes the activity helps keep him healthy.
34He noted that he has never caught a cold.
35You added, "If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable."
36And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. 2Even 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. 3The daily event, known as ice swimming, is a winter tradition in Harbin. Swimmers train daily throughout the year to get their bodies ready for the unusual swim. Reporters from The Associated Press recently visited the city and spoke with some of the swimmers. 4To create a pool in the Songhua River, the swimmers first had to break a 10-centimeter thick cover of ice. Then they removed the ice pieces, took off all clothes except bathing suits and prepared to enter. One by one, they jumped into a freezing, 10-meter-long pool. 5Some of the swimmers reported that their legs and arms quickly went numb after entering the water. The outside temperature was about minus 13 degrees Celsius and the water temperature remained near freezing. 6One of the swimmers was Chen Xia. She came from Zhejiang province about 1,700 kilometers further south. She decided to jump into the river even though she had a cold. Chen said the winter waters where she lives are warmer than those in Harbin. 7She said the experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming. She has been taking part in the activity for about 20 years. 8The 56-year-old Chen said the freezing waters made her skin feel like small pins were attacking her body. But, she added that the experience still brought her happiness. "I felt prickling all over my body. But it still made me feel blissful," she said. 9Yu Xiaofeng lives in Harbin, a city that sits near the border with Russia. The 61-year-old said winter swimming in the city dates back to the 1970s. At that time, locals saw Russian Orthodox religious believers being baptized in the river. Later in 1983, an official winter swimming group was established in Harbin. 10The city also holds an ongoing winter celebration known for its huge, detailed ice and snow sculptures. 11Winter swimming is considered a sport in China. But it gained popularity much faster in Harbin than in other parts of the country. Today, Yu said the city is considered a "holy land" for winter swimming. 12Yu said the winter swimmers appear to have better health than others. She added that she has felt a great sense of family and joy in the community during her 30 years of winter swimming. 13While 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. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group even came up with a new saying to describe the experience. They would rather "suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital," Yu said. 14You Decang is a 76-year-old winter swimmer who said he believes the activity helps keep him healthy. He noted that he has never caught a cold. You added, "If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable." 15And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo. 16Andy Wong reported this story for The Associated Press. Olivia Zhang and Caroline Chen contributed to this report. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 17___________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19numb -v. to cause (a part of the body) to lose sensation 20further -adj. going or extending beyond 21confidence -n. a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances 22pin -n. a piece of wood, metal, or plastic used especially for fastening things together or for hanging one thing from another 23prickling -v. to cause or feel a slight stinging or tingling sensation : prickle -n. a tingling sensation 24blissful -adj. full of, marked by, or causing complete happiness 25baptize -v. to dip in water or sprinkle water on as a part of the ceremony of receiving into the Christian church 26sculpture -n. a three-dimensional work of art (such as a statue) 27quote -v. to speak or write (a passage) from another usually with credit acknowledgment 28uncomfortable -adj. feeling discomfort