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NEOM Announces Aquellum, Futuristic Lifestyle Community within Mountain Haven

To access Aquellum, visitors will embark on an extraordinary journey, beginning at the world's first floating marina. SPA
To access Aquellum, visitors will embark on an extraordinary journey, beginning at the world's first floating marina. SPA
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NEOM Announces Aquellum, Futuristic Lifestyle Community within Mountain Haven

To access Aquellum, visitors will embark on an extraordinary journey, beginning at the world's first floating marina. SPA
To access Aquellum, visitors will embark on an extraordinary journey, beginning at the world's first floating marina. SPA

The Board of Directors of NEOM has announced Aquellum, a luxury and experiential space embedded within the mountains, and the latest striking addition to the ongoing regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia.

With its foundations steeped in cutting-edge technology, avant-garde architecture and forward-thinking concepts, Aquellum will offer guests a taste of futuristic living through its array of pioneering experiences.

According to a statement issued by NEOM, concealed from the outside along the Gulf of Aqaba coastline, Aquellum is hidden within a breathtaking 450-meter-high mountain range and represents a futuristic ecosystem harmoniously integrated into the natural surroundings. Crafted to inspire originality and imagination, Aquellum will push the boundaries of conventional design and construction possibilities.
To access Aquellum, visitors will embark on an extraordinary journey, beginning at the world's first floating marina. Here, guests will board a specially designed vessel to enter Aquellum through a concealed underground canal, unveiling a hidden community that offers an incredible sensory journey.
Once inside, visitors will be treated to an exhilarating, 100-meter-high vertical experience with an impressive courtyard space stretching from the water to the sky. This subterranean digitalized community creates vibrancy and interconnectivity through seamlessly blending hotel accommodations, apartments, retail spaces, leisure and entertainment zones and innovative hubs.
A dynamic boulevard winds through the courtyard, connecting diverse social spaces, world-class hospitality, immersive arts, events, shopping and dining. A signature space, dubbed 'The Generator', houses unique research labs for disruptors, innovators, and creative thinkers, offering a platform where the future is reimagined.
An omnidirectional internal transit system facilitates easy access to upper floors, transporting residents and visitors to their homes and hotels, ascending to rooftop gardens with breathtaking coastal views.
Guided by its unwavering commitment to crafting spaces in nature that epitomize the future of luxury, innovation and lifestyle, Aquellum stands as a testament to the fusion of cutting-edge design and construction techniques.
Aligned with NEOM's commitment to conservation and innovation, Aquellum complements its coastal location. This new development follows recent announcements of Leyja, Epicon, Siranna, Utamo, and Norlana, which are also sustainable tourism destinations located in the Gulf of Aqaba.

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In Freezing Temperatures, Swimmers in China Plunge into a River for Health and Joy

A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
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In Freezing Temperatures, Swimmers in China Plunge into a River for Health and Joy

A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)
A resident swims in a pool carved from ice on the frozen Songhua river in Harbin in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025. (AP)

Even as the mercury dropped below freezing, enthusiasm soared among about a dozen hardy swimmers during an annual ritual in northeast China’s ice city of Harbin.

The swimmers had trained daily throughout the year for this moment.

They first had to carve out a pool in the Songhua River, thawing the 10-centimeter (4-inch) thick ice that froze overnight. Then they stripped down and, one by one, plunged into the bone-chilling waters of the pool about 10 meters (33 feet) long.

Some said their limbs were already numb when the air temperature fell to minus 13 degrees Celsius (8 degrees Fahrenheit).

Chen Xia, from the eastern coastal province of Zhejiang, dived into the river even though she was suffering from a cold. She said the waters in her home city were warmer than those in Harbin, where the temperature was about 0 C (32 F).

The experience strengthened her confidence in winter swimming, a sport she has been devoted to for about two decades.

“I felt prickling all over my body,” said Chen, 56. “But it still made me feel blissful."

Harbin resident Yu Xiaofeng said winter swimming in her city can be dated back to the 1970s, after locals saw Russian Orthodox faithful being baptized in the river. In 1983, the city's winter swimming association was established.

Yu, 61, said she found a sense of a big family and joy during her 30 years of swimming.

“Since the pandemic, we came up with a slogan: Rather suffer through winter swimming than line up at the hospital,” she said, adding that winter swimmers appeared to have better health than others.

You Decang, 76, said swimming kept him healthy and he had never caught a cold.

"If I go just one day without winter swimming, I feel quite uncomfortable,” he said.