MUDANJIANG, Heilongjiang Province, April 1 (Xinhua) -- In Mudanjiang, a border city in northeast China, everyone knows 60-year-old Di Huanran, who has become a local celebrity through his decades of devotion to cliff diving.
Di retired from his job as a waterfall diver at Jingbo Lake resort in Mudanjiang last winter and fell ill after hearing his contract would not be extended as a retiree. But things soon took a turn for the better one month later, when he signed a contract extension allowing him to earn at least 180,000 yuan (nearly 30,000 U.S. dollars) per year in addition to his pension. More importantly, he is also allowed to dive down the 20-meter Diaoshuiqiao waterfall - the world's largest basalt waterfall - every day.
Di first tried his hand at outdoor diving at this waterfall in 1983, just for the sake of disproving an old rumor that a log would be smashed to pieces if it fell down the waterfall.
Di's first job was working in an LNG gas station in Mudanjiang. In order to find better locations for outdoor diving, he instead became a truck driver in the local post office in 1996, so as to better pursue his cliff diving dream.
"When I changed job to be a truck driver for six years from 1996 to 2001, I got the chance to tour around China and to achieve my dream of trying more cliff dives. Whenever I crossed a bridge or found a cliff, I would locate a good spot for diving. I can't remember how many times and in how many places I tried diving during those years," recalled Di in a recent interview with Xinhua.
For him, the waterfall at Jingbo Lake resort is the best place for cliff diving. "At Jingbo Lake, I can dive not only in spring, summer and fall, but also in winter. The water temperature is a consistent eight degrees Celsius, even in the freezing winter. It's always the same in the pool even when the outdoor temperature drops to -36 degrees Celsius, so I would not have any trouble swimming out of the pool after diving," added Di, who says he hates swimming in cold water. Jingbo Lake is a volcanic barrier lake and the subterranean heat underground keeps the water relatively warm in winter.
Comparing his diving with that of China's Olympians, Di calls it a totally different experience and skillset. "Outdoor diving is primitive, and requires courage and special skills. You must be a veteran swimmer and you need to know what you are doing to challenge yourself in nature like that," said Di. "Diving indoors is much safer. There is professional training and it's purposely intended for competition."
Di paid tribute to his hometown river, the Mudan - which Mudanjiang is named after - for his diving experience. "When I was a child, I liked to swim in the river and I tried diving when I was on a boat crossing it. That's how the seed of diving took root inside me."
Over the years, Di has tried diving from almost every bridge in Heilongjiang province, including the Mudan River bridge and the Songhua River bridge in Harbin, capital city of the province. Some of his favorite spots include the Hukou Waterfall on the upstream of the Yellow River, and the Haihe Jiefang bridge in Tianjin.
Safety is always uppermost in Di's thoughts, as he has dived down from a variety of depths and into swirling torrents. "Safe or unsafe, it depends on your training. You need to be a good swimmer and you need to know how to adjust your body into the water to avoid going too deep," said Di. "1.5-meter deep water is good enough for me, so I can return to the surface quickly and won't get lost in the turbulence. Diving down, you need to prevent your body from heading to the bottom, and you need to make sure you are able to swim back to the bank, that's what I keep in mind in each attempt."
To him, diving has given him huge pleasure. "I feel I'm flying like a hawk and this feeling is such a great joy. When I am in the air, I wish time would stand still. Every time I try a new height or a new place, it's a breath of fresh air."
In 2008, Di was a awarded a Guinness World Record as the world's highest waterfall diver. But Di refuses to recognize himself as a daredevil. "I will only dive down when I'm 100 percent sure it won't risk my life. Safety is always my top priority when I try this activity, which to many is so risky. I would like to be a explorer, not an adventurer," said Di, adding that he would like to park his car when a hawk or a swallow is close to him. "I feel that those birds and me are so alike."
Over 36 years, it seems Di is addicted to the sport and hopes to prolong his diving experience as long as possible. "Outdoor diving is part of my life. As long as my body condition allows, I think I will continue diving until the age of 80."
