Miracles often astonish us, even when everything has its limits. Physiologists warn that in extreme low temperatures, even the strongest individuals can hardly survive for more than 15 minutes without clothing. However, throughout human history, there have been a few rare individuals who are born immune to the cold, presenting an unsolved mystery.
In the 1980s, a scientific discussion was held in London regarding how long shipwreck survivors could endure in icy waters. Research indicated that at zero degrees Celsius, a person could only withstand the cold for about 15 minutes, while at five degrees, they could last a bit more than a day. This explains why the little match girl in Hans Christian Andersen's tale perished on Christmas Eve.
In Trieste, Italy, an 8-year-old boy caught the attention of the police. He attended school daily wearing only swim trunks and flip-flops, which led the police to suspect child abuse. Upon inquiry, the boy explained that he had never feared the cold and found his attire sufficient. His statement puzzled the officers, prompting them to take him to a hospital for examination, where doctors were also unable to explain this phenomenon.
Similar cases are not uncommon in China. In the outskirts of Nanjing, a young boy has been unbothered by cold since birth, playing outdoors naked in all seasons. Even in heavy snowfall, he frolics without a care and has never caught a cold. In Mianyang, Sichuan, a girl known as "Fire Girl" also shows no fear of the cold, refusing to wear clothes in winter and even enjoying cold water. A girl named Xia Weilian from Anyi County in Jiangxi Province also wears only light clothing and rubber shoes in temperatures as low as minus three degrees.
How do these cold-resistant individuals manage to do so? This remains an unsolved mystery.
