Buried waist deep in ice for more than an hour wearing nothing but a pair of swimming shorts, the man known in China as "Polar Bear" shivered and laughed at the challenge.
"At the moment I feel very good," said Cui Deyi, his torso exposed to near-freezing winter temperatures in the northern Chinese city of Handan on Saturday.
Cui is one of an elite group of global competitors testing humanity's ability to withstand extreme cold.
"I could continue at least another hour," said Cui, with the steely confidence of a man who reportedly submerged for seventy-five minutes in near-freezing waters off the coast of Norway in 2011.
With fragments of ice pressing against his lower body, the rotund athlete’s arms were rocked by shivers. But that did not prevent him from winning several games of Chinese chess.
At rapid fire speed he slammed pieces down on a board in front of his transparent tub, securing victory against a local opponent.
"I'm using chess to test my ability to withstand cold, and to see if my thoughts and hand reactions are suffering," he added, still half-submerged.
Cui hails from Huangshan in the eastern province of Anhui, and began competing in cold endurance contests around a decade ago, after years of swimming in rivers and lakes during winter.
"Other people would shiver a lot after five minutes or so. But I could do half an hour on an hour with no problems," Cui said.
"So I slowly started to turn it into a profession".
'I'll take them on'
Winter swimming, which sees enthusiasts breaking into iced-up waterways for dips said to stave off illness, is popular in many parts of China, and even has government backing.
There are several hundred Chinese clubs dedicated to the hobby -- including one in Handan which organised Cui's challenge, beside a half frozen lake named Yiquan.
A crowd including several government officials surrounded Cui, beside a large red sign reading "freely swim in Yiquan lake and build A crowd including several government officials surrounded Cui, beside a large red sign reading "freely swim in Yiquan lake and build the China Dream".
Local Winter swimming enthusiasts said their endurance paled before the man known as the "Polar Bear of Huangshan".
"We can't be compared to him, he's great... Ordinary people can only look on with respect" said Wu Guangji, 50, donning a yellow swimming cap in preparation for a plunge.
Cui is not the only cold-endurance competitor in China. In 2013 he faced off against challenger Jin Songhao, with both submerged up to neck-level in ice tanks.
He emerged victorious after 138 minutes, reports said. He has since claimed victories against Russian competitors.
Internationally his biggest rival is Dutch national Wim Hof, known as "Iceman".
He managed to set a world record by reaching 7,400 metres (24,278 feet) on Everest in 2011 wearing just a pair of shorts.
Hof insists that he has no special powers, and depends on decades of training in meditation and yoga.
But Cui challenged the Dutchman, saying: "Whoever in the world is good, I'll take them on, and see whose body can withstand more".
Minutes later he was pulled out of the ice tank, with assistants quickly handing him a white bath robe to cover his black swimming trunks.
The outside temperature was a bracing two degrees celsius (36 Farenheit).
After being patted down by assistants trying to restore blood circulation to his icy-cold extremities, he dressed and retired to a hotel.
Warming up over a bowl of noodles and vegetable dumplings, he said he relied merely on regular practice -- including half an hour a day sleeping in an ice bath.
Referring to his abilities and daily regimen, he asked simply: "It's pretty awesome, isn't it?"
AFP RELAXNEWS
Mon Jan 18 2016
![China's 'Polar Bear' man lays down ice bath challenge China's 'Polar Bear' man lays down ice bath challenge](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2016-01/41453096288_CuiDeyi.jpg)
China-sport-winter-swimming-offbeat by Tom HANCOCK Cui Deyi, known as "Polar Bear," plays mahjong while being in a box filled with ice in Handan, Hebei province on January 16, 2016. - AFP Photo/Fred Dufour
![“I love you Am, bahagialah di syurga firdausi” - Aufahanie “I love you Am, bahagialah di syurga firdausi” - Aufahanie](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/51723679258_AufahanieNidzaAfh.jpg)
“I love you Am, bahagialah di syurga firdausi” - Aufahanie
Air mata Aufahanie sudah kering meratapi pemergian abang tercinta, Nidza Afham yang ditemui meninggal dunia selepas dilaporkan hilang.
Konsert jelajah: Taylor Swift teruskan konsert London selepas ancaman keganasan
Taylor Swift akan meneruskan persembahan di London pada Khamis, meneruskan jelajah konsert terbesar dunia di tengah-tengah kebimbangan keselamatan susulan cubaan serangan Daesh memaksa pembatalan tarikh konsert di Vienna, minggu lalu.
Taliban rai ulang tahun ketiga pemerintahan Afghanistan
Kerajaan Taliban semalam meraikan ulang tahun ketiga pemerintahannya di Afghanistan dengan perarakan tentera yang memberi penghormatan kepada bom buatan sendiri yang digunakan ketika peperangan, pesawat pejuang dan perbarisan pasukan keselamatan.
![Bapa bintang bola sepak Sepanyol, Lamine Yamal ditikam - Laporan Bapa bintang bola sepak Sepanyol, Lamine Yamal ditikam - Laporan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/61723677980_MounirNasraoui.jpg)
Bapa bintang bola sepak Sepanyol, Lamine Yamal ditikam - Laporan
Mounir Nasraoui, bapa kepada Lamine Yamal, ditikam pada lewat Rabu di tempat letak kereta di bandar Mataro di timur laut Sepanyol.
Warga AS dihukum penjara 15 hari di Rusia kerana bersikap samseng
Mahkamah Moscow menjatuhkan hukuman penjara 15 hari kepada warga Amerika Syarikat Joseph Tater pada Rabu kerana bersikap samseng.
Putin anggap rundingan dengan Ukraine tidak berguna
Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin menyifatkan, tindakan Ukraine yang menyerang orang awam memperlihatkan keengganan Kyiv menyelesaikan konflik peperangan dua negara dengan cara perdamaian.
Fadillah tiba di Peru, hadiri mesyuarat menteri-menteri tenaga APEC 2024
Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof tiba Lima, Peru bagi menghadiri Mesyuarat Menteri-Menteri Tenaga (EMM) di bawah Kerjasama Ekonomi Asia Pasifik (APEC) yang berlangsung selama dua hari.
BNM denda Maybank RM4.32 juta, CIMB RM760,000 berikutan gangguan perkhidmatan berpanjangan
Bank Negara Malaysia mengenakan Penalti Monetari Pentadbiran (AMP) sebanyak RM4.32 juta ke atas Malayan Banking Bhd dan Maybank Islamic Bhd serta RM760,000 ke atas CIMB Bank Bhd dan CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd susulan gangguan beberapa perkhidmatan perbankan yang berpanjangan.
![Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-08/41723674988_pineapplesweetsme.jpg)
Pertubuhan kebajikan New Zealand mohon maaf edar gula-gula bercampur dadah Methamphetamine
Auckland City Mission secara tidak sengaja telah mengagihkan gula-gula bercampur Methamphetamine yang boleh membawa maut melalui pek makanan.
Pesakit buah pinggang di Gaza hadapi kekurangan mesin dialisis
Pesakit buah pinggang di Gaza menghadapi kekurangan peralatan dialisis dan bekalan perubatan yang teruk di Khan Younis.