Thousands of swimming enthusiasts from across the world braved the cold at Daming Lake as the 7th Jinan Winter Spring Swimming International Invitation and IWSA World Cup Promotional kicked off on Jan 12. 

Renowned for numerous springs, Jinan, the city of spring, is the only city in the world which hosts winter spring swimming.

The 7th Jinan Winter Spring Swimming International Competition opens at Jinan Daming Lake Park on Jan 12 and attracts a total of 956 swimmers from across the world. [Photo by Zhang Qiyun for chinadaily.com.cn]

A winter swimmer prepares to dive into the icy water of Daming Lake in Jinan, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/sdchina.com]

Swimmers jump into the spring water at Daming Lake on Jan 12. [Photo/sdchina.com]