Harbin seniors welcome winter with hockey

Ice hockey lovers in action in Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, on Wednesday. [Photo by Liu Yang/for chinadaily.com.cn]

After a heavy snow the previous day, the temperature dropped as low as -20 C in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, on Wednesday.

However, the extreme cold and strong wind on the frozen Songhua River couldn't stop the enthusiasm of a group of ice hockey players.

The team, composed of about 30 members with an average age of 66, started in 2000 and has become a unique fixture on the river.

"Most people don't like the cold winter in the northeast, but each of us began to look forward to it, even from the late autumn," said Xie Hongli, 72, a retired worker of Harbin Railway Bureau. "The ice arena is our favorite playground, although we play roller hockey in the warm days."

The team held their first match of the winter Nov 18, as soon as the river was frozen.

The daily match will continue through March next year without interruption.

Sun Guoshun, 57, became the new captain of the team at the start of 2017.

Most of the time, the captain's duty is to keep tools sanitary, flatten the icy surface and maintain order.

Sun founded a chat group for team members, in order to communicate better and care for one another.

"Although we are seniors, we can't fall behind the development of society," the captain said. "Every day I will count up the number of members present through the group chat before we gather in the afternoon."

"This sport helps keep me healthy as well as in good mood," said Ma Zhanshou, 78, the oldest one on the team. "I will keep myself on the ice till I can't move."

"I also expect to see more people join in, not only the old but also the young," he said. "Ice and snow can be seen as the symbol of the city, so I hope all citizens participate in ice and snow sports."