The swimmers trained daily throughout the year for this. They first carved out a pool in the Songhua River, breaking the 10-centimeter (4-inch) thick layer of ice that had formed again overnight and ...

In the heart of winter a dense mist blankets the Songhua River as it winds through Jilin City of northeast China Jilin ...

Despite the frigid temperatures, visitors brave the cold while locals offer warm clothing to combat the chill.

Each winter, the industrial city in China's northeast turns into a magnet for those from China's balmier regions wanting to experience the extreme cold and take in the sculptures built from ice blocks ...

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 ...

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.