大暑Great Heat
Great Heat (dashu) falls on July 22 in the Gregorian calendar this year. as its name suggests, it ushers in a period much hotter than the Lesser Heat. Indeed, it heralds the dog days called futian in Chinese. To be more specific, the hottest periods of summer are usually divided into three periods: mid-July, late July to early august, and mid-august. during these three periods, the sunshine reaches its maximum, and plants and crops which favor high temperatures thrive. at the same time, meteorological disasters such as drought, floods, and windstorms occur frequently. as it’s sweltering during this period, most Chinese prefer eating cold food to stay cool although in some parts of China, people choose hot food to welcome this solar term. after Great Heat, autumn will quietly step in.
The weather is volatile after Great Heat, just as described in a poem: “It is sunny in the east while rainy in the west.” Thundershowers come frequently but on the brighter side, they can help to make it less stuffy.
The glowworm is called fluorescent fire beetle in Chinese. There are aquatic ones and terrestrial ones. The latter prefer inhabiting warm and moist places such as living under grass, which is why the ancient Chinese thought they were born out of decayed grass. On a calm summer night, if glowworms are seen flying hither and thither, that’s a sign that the cool autumn is just around the corner.
Jewelweed enjoys sunlight. It is a folk remedy known for its skin healing properties. The flowers are butterfly-like and colorful. Chinese people have nicknamed it “fingernail flower” as girls like to mash them up to color their fingernails. It is believed in traditional Chinese medicine that this fingernail dyeing method can reduce the internal heat of the human body and help people to stay calm during hot days.
To farmers, Great Heat is the perfect time to harvest rice. Though it’s suffocating to undertake farm work in the fields, farmers still need to race against time to ensure that every rice grain is returned to their barns.
In the evening, when the heat in the air dies down a little, cool breezes brush people’s faces. After a busy day, people can relax and recuperate by the river, or under the tree, chatting with each other to enjoy the cool of the night and also to get prepared for another day.
(Compiled by China Today based on The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Published by Dolphin Books)