1 / 3   Winter swimming aficionados in northeast China’s Liaoning Province have rushed to test their nerves, their ability to handle the cold, and their creativity, by jumping into half-frozen water, which can be as cold  as minus 17 degrees Celsius.

2 / 3   It takes guts to swim in a river covered by ice while dressed as they are – one in a not-quite-Superman outfit and the other apparently pretending to be the Monkey King.

3 / 3   The sport is popular in the northeast, which is one of China’s coldest regions. Many of these swimmers are senior citizens who believe that the sudden vein contraction which comes from a sharp drop of body temperature may prevent certain illnesses - but evidence for the potential damage by this kind of swimming also exists.