[ti:People in China Swim in Freezing River for Health, Happiness]
[al:Health & Lifestyle]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2025-01-17]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
[00:06.47]Even 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.
[00:24.76]The daily event, known as ice swimming, is a winter tradition in Harbin.
[00:32.63]Swimmers train daily throughout the year to get their bodies ready for the unusual swim. 
[00:40.99]Reporters from The Associated Press recently visited the city and spoke with some of the swimmers.
[00:50.66]To create a pool in the Songhua River, the swimmers first had to break a 10-centimeter thick cover of ice. 
[01:01.70]Then they removed the ice pieces, took off all clothes except bathing suits and prepared to enter.
[01:11.95]One by one, they jumped into a freezing, 10-meter-long pool.
[01:19.74]Some of the swimmers reported that their legs and arms quickly went numb after entering the water. 
[01:30.54]The outside temperature was about minus 13 degrees Celsius and the water temperature remained near freezing.
[01:41.50]One of the swimmers was Chen Xia.
[01:45.50]She came from Zhejiang province about 1,700 kilometers further south.
[01:53.72]She decided to jump into the river even though she had a cold.
[01:59.53]Chen said the winter waters where she lives are warmer than those in Harbin.
[02:07.31]She said the experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming. 
[02:13.88]She has been taking part in the activity for about 20 years.
[02:20.11]The 56-year-old Chen said the freezing waters made her skin feel like small pins were attacking her body. 
[02:29.95]But, she added that the experience still brought her happiness.
[02:35.55]"I felt prickling all over my body. But it still made me feel blissful," she said.
[02:43.31]Yu Xiaofeng lives in Harbin, a city that sits near the border with Russia. 
[02:51.59]The 61-year-old said winter swimming in the city dates back to the 1970s. 
[02:59.28]At that time, locals saw Russian Orthodox religious believers being baptized in the river.
[03:08.46]Later in 1983, an official winter swimming group was established in Harbin.
[03:16.61]The city also holds an ongoing winter celebration known for its huge, detailed ice and snow sculptures.
[03:28.41]Winter swimming is considered a sport in China.
[03:33.56]But it gained popularity much faster in Harbin than in other parts of the country. 
[03:41.30]Today, Yu said the city is considered a "holy land" for winter swimming.
[03:48.44]Yu said the winter swimmers appear to have better health than others. 
[03:54.98]She added that she has felt a great sense of family and joy in the community during her 30 years of winter swimming.
[04:05.69]While 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. 
[04:17.84]During the COVID-19 pandemic, the group even came up with a new saying to describe the experience.
[04:25.81] They would rather "suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital," Yu said.
[04:33.68]You Decang is a 76-year-old winter swimmer who said he believes the activity helps keep him healthy.
[04:45.61]He noted that he has never caught a cold. 
[04:48.87]You added, "If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable."
[04:56.97]And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.