Every year in the ice city of Harbin, northeast China, a group of dedicated swimmers gather to partake in the challenging ritual of winter swimming. Despite temperatures dropping below freezing, the swimmers, who had trained rigorously throughout the year, showed great enthusiasm for the event.
The swimmers began by carving out a pool in the Songhua River, breaking through the 10-centimeter thick ice that had formed overnight. Undeterred by the bone-chilling conditions, they stripped down and took turns plunging into the frigid waters of the 10-meter long pool. Some participants mentioned that their limbs were already numb as the air temperature plummeted to minus 13 degrees Celsius.
