Participants swim in a pool carved out of the frozen Songhua River during an ice swimming competition as a part of the annual ice festival, in the northern city of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China January 5, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
HARBIN, China (Reuters) - Swimming enthusiast Yu Hongtao, 50, trained for months in the freezing water of the Songhua river to compete in a winter ice swimming tournament held annually in China's northern city of Harbin, known for its bitterly cold weather.
"You have to start swimming from autumn so that the body can conquer the sudden icy impact on one's cardio-vascular system," said Yu, a Harbin resident. "The feeling of diving into the water is very cool."
