Having found 100 reasons to stay in bed, I crawled out from under a warm quilt and donned a cotton overcoat, hat, scarf and gloves.

It was only 5 am. In the stuffy darkness and severe coldness I called for a taxi to the Houhai Lake in the heart of Beijing.

As far as I know, these brave swimmers meet every morning at the lake.

"Why are you going to meet those maniacs," asked the shocked taxi driver when I informed him of my destination.

It was easy to find these "maniacs." As the car neared the lake, their loud roars, cries and laughter were clearly heard through the morning fog.

Soon after getting out of the taxi, I couldn't help imitating them and shouting in my loudest voice.

"Normally, you will be considered a maniac if you shout out loudly or laugh hysterically in public, but here that is OK," said E Heying, one of the "maniacs."

However, when it came to swimming in water as cold as 3 C, I preferred not to imitate them.

E, a chef working in a kindergarten, said she came to the lake every morning and jumped into the water.

"Normally I am just an ordinary worker, but swimming in the winter mornings makes me feel courageous, healthy and happy," she said.

Between 20 and 40 swimmers come to the lake every morning, usually at 7.30 am. After swimming for five minutes and talking with friends, they will get on their bicycles and ride back into their routine lives as factory workers, shop assistants, plumbers or pensioners.

"Most of the 5,000 winter swimmers in Beijing are medium or low-income residents who cannot afford to go to gymnasiums or swimming pools," said Dong Yanyi, editor of the Agricultural Mechanics magazine, who serves as president of the Beijing Winter Swimmers' Association in his spare time.

"And they are all extremely proud of the way they exercise," he added.

Dong stressed that winter swimming demands teamwork. The early arrivers have to make preparations for other swimmers - they dig a hole in the ice that covers the lake, jump into the hole and break the ice with wood sticks in an area of about 40 square metres.

"Ice is like sharp knives in the water. You have to take care not to touch it," said Zhao Gengjun who showed me his hand, which was scarred by the ice.

After the ice was broken, the swimmers crept into large bags they had brought and, in these strange-looking bags, changed into their swimming costumes. "We have woven the bags with quilt covers or bath towels," Dong explained.

When they got out of the bags goose-flesh appeared on their bare skin. "Of course we are cold, and it's even colder in the water. Just remember how your hands feel when you wash clothes in the winter - and we are to put our whole body in," said Kang Pishun, 62, who retired several years ago from the Beijing Electronic Appliance Export and Import Company.

"I usually feel afraid when I climb off the ladder into the water," said E Heying.

After two to five minutes in the water the swimmers were all red. After climbing up on the bank, they poured warm water on their feet and hands to prevent them from being hurt by the cold.

"When we get on the bank we feel hot. But, after several minutes, when we put on clothes, we are shivering with coldness," said E.

On the bank the swimmers chatted and laughed loudly. "We are all good friends," said Geng Yujie, a retired factory worker and leader of the more than 100 regular swimmers. "We all lead very different lives, but in our swimsuits, we have only one identity - swimmers."

Geng said they often take a dip in suburban lakes and climb mountains together at the weekend.

"We meet almost every morning and talk about everything in our lives. After all, we spend the happiest time of the day together," she added.

When I left the lake, E was dancing in the sunrise with another swimmer, beaming with energy and pride.

There are about 40 groups of swimmers who swim in more than 20 places around Beijing, said Dong Yanyi.

Apart from the Houhai Lake, a large number of swimmers can also be found in the Yuyuantan Park in western Beijing, the Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace in northwestern Beijing, the Shichahai Lake beside the Houhai, and some areas along the Kunyu River, which runs through the city.

Dong said winter swimming is practised in almost every city across China. Swimmers often take swimming suits with them on business trips and make friends with swimmers in other cities.

Zhang Deshan, a winter swimmer in Beijing, spoke with pride of the time he took a winter swim in Lhasa in a lake surrounded by the snowy mountains of the Tibetan Plateau.

Zhang Jinmei, a winter swimmer from Zhengzhou in Central China's Henan Province, was laid off a year ago.

"I believe I can conquer any difficulties in my life since I dare jump into the freezing water," she was quoted in a local newspaper.

Zhang today sells the traditional food of pickled meat in the streets of Zhengzhou.

"The sport has made us both physically and mentally strong," said Dong.

But the cheap sport may soon become expensive in Beijing. A new law forbids swimming in most rivers and lakes in the city from January 2003.

"According to the new law, swimming in the Yuyuantan Park, Houhai, Kunming and Shichahai lakes, Kunyu River and most other places is illegal. Our only choice will be the outdoor swimming pools," said Dong.

Among the outdoor swimming pools in the city, only the one in the Tsinghua University opens in winter, and the ticket price of 6 yuan (72 US cents) will be too expensive for most of those who swim every day.

Sources with the Beijing Urban Administration Office said detailed rules are being made in the enforcement of the new law to encourage winter swimming.

"Besides our willpower, support will be needed if we are to continue with this cheap and good sport," said Dong.

(China Daily WANG SHANSHAN 23-12-2002)