Ice, snow, ice pose no obstacle for winter river swimmer (2)

Yu Xiaofeng poses for a photo as she kicks her legs in the freezing Songhua River. Recently the temperature dropped to as low as -20 C in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

She became a winter swimming enthusiast. The extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen Songhua River never dimmed her enthusiasm.

Before retirement, to avoid interfering with work, she got up at about 5 am every day and went swimming after preparing breakfast for her son.

It became a habit that's lasted until today.

"In fact, it is not very easy to get up so early every day, especially in the cold winter," she said. "The greatest victory is overcoming oneself."

Before diving into the icy river, she will do some warm-up exercises, such as jogging and yoga.

And jumping into the Songhua River from a diving platform often draws a rousing ovation from the crowd.

"Winter swimming makes me healthy and feel comfortable," she said. "I will carry on."