A man chats with residents in winter clothings as he prepares to swim in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
HARBIN, China (AP) — Even as the mercury dropped below freezing, enthusiasm soared among about a dozen hardy swimmers during an annual ritual in northeast China’s ice city of Harbin.
The swimmers had trained daily throughout the year for this moment.
They first had to carve out a pool in the Songhua River, thawing the 10-centimeter (4-inch) thick ice that froze overnight. Then they stripped down and, one by one, plunged into the bone-chilling waters of the pool about 10 meters (33 feet) long.
Some said their limbs were already numb when the air temperature fell to minus 13 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit).
Chen Xia, from the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, dived into the river even though she was suffering from a cold. She said the waters in her home city were warmer than those in Harbin, where the temperature was about 0 C (32 F).
Residents watch a woman jump into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
The experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming, a sport she has been devoted to for about two decades.
“I felt prickling all over my body,” said Chen, 56. “But it still made me feel blissful.”
Harbin resident Yu Xiaofeng said winter swimming in her city can be dated back to the 1970s, after locals saw Russian Orthodox faithful being baptized in the river. In 1983, the city’s winter swimming association was established.
Harbin is considered a “holy land” for winter swimming, she said, as the sport gained popularity there earlier than in other parts of China.
Yu, 61, said she found a sense of a big family and joy during her 30 years of swimming.
A man puts on his head cover as he prepares to swim in the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
“Since the pandemic, we came up with a slogan: Rather suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital,” she said, adding that winter swimmers appeared to have better health than others.
You Decang, 76, said swimming kept him healthy and he had never caught a cold.
“If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable,” he said.
A woman passes a towel to a swimmer after she swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A man jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)Residents watch a man preparing to swim in the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A man jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A man swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A woman reacts as she gets into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A woman looks out from a changing room as she prepares to swim in the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A resident jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A resident prepares to swim in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A man jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)Yu Xiaofeng leaps as she jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)Residents swim in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)Residents prepare to swim in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)Residents watch a woman swim in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A woman jumps into a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)Residents in winter clothing watch Yu Xiaofeng pose as she prepares to swim in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China’s Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
___
Associated Press video producers Olivia Zhang and Caroline Chen in Harbin, China contributed to this report.
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
