VOA健康报道2025--People in China Swim in Freezing River for Health, Happiness

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

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.

The 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 spoke¹ with some of the swimmers.

To 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.

Some of the swimmers reported that their legs and arms quickly went numb² after entering the water. The outside temperature was about minus 13 degrees Celsius³ and the water temperature remained near freezing.

One of the swimmers was Chen Xia. She came from Zhejiang province about 1,700 kilometers further south. She decided⁴ 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.

She said the experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming. She has been taking part in the activity for about 20 years.

The 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.

Yu 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 Orthodox⁵ religious believers being baptized in the river. Later in 1983, an official winter swimming group was established in Harbin.

The city also holds an ongoing⁶ winter celebration known for its huge, detailed⁷ ice and snow sculptures.

Winter swimming is considered a sport in China. But it gained popularity⁸ much faster in Harbin than in other parts of the country. Today, Yu said the city is considered a “holy land” for winter swimming.

Yu 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.

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. 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.

You Decang is a 76-year-old winter swimmer who said he believes the activity helps keep him healthy. He noted⁹ that he has never caught a cold. You added, “If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable.”

And that's the Health & Lifestyle report. I'm Anna Matteo.

Andy 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.

___________________________________________

Words in This Story

numb –v. to cause (a part of the body) to lose sensation¹⁰

further –adj. going or extending beyond

confidence -n. a feeling or consciousness¹¹ of one's powers or of reliance¹² on one's circumstances

pin –n. a piece of wood, metal, or plastic used especially for fastening things together or for hanging one thing from another

prickling –v. to cause or feel a slight stinging¹³ or tingling¹⁴ sensation : prickle –n. a tingling sensation

blissful –adj. full of, marked by, or causing complete happiness

baptize –v. to dip in water or sprinkle water on as a part of the ceremony of receiving into the Christian¹⁵ church

sculpture –n. a three-dimensional work of art (such as a statue)

quote –v. to speak or write (a passage) from another usually with credit acknowledgment

uncomfortable –adj. feeling discomfort

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 orthodox   

adj.正统的，传统的，惯常的

参考例句：

• They are orthodox Jews.他们是正统的犹太教徒。
• His ideas are very orthodox.他的思想非常合乎规范。

6 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

7 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

8 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 sensation   

n.感觉，感知力，激动，轰动

参考例句：

• He lost all sensation in his legs through cramp.他的腿部因抽筋而失去知觉。
• Seeing him again after so many years was a strange sensation.那么多年以后又见到他，是一种不可思议的感觉。

11 consciousness   

n.意识，觉悟，知觉

参考例句：

• The experience helped to change her social consciousness.这种经验有助于改变她的社会意识。
• He lost consciousness at the first whiff of ether.他一嗅到乙醚便失去了知觉。

12 reliance   

n.信任，信赖，信心

参考例句：

• A child has reliance on his or her mother.孩子都依赖于母亲。
• Our policy should rest on the basis of self-reliance.我们的方针要放在自力更生的基点上。

13 stinging   

刺一样的，刺人的，激烈的

参考例句：

• My eyes are stinging from the smoke. 我眼睛被烟熏的疼痛。
• On September 24, he wrote a stinging denunciation of his critics. 9月24号，他写了一篇痛斥那些批评者的措词强烈的文章。

14 tingling   

v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。