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 ...

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.

In northeastern China the Songhua River flows west from the border of Russia to the city of Harbin where four million people depend on it as a source of water Songhua is a portrait of the varying ...

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.