Minor Heat. (Audio/Xinhua)
Minor Heat, or Xiaoshu in Chinese, the 11th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, begins on July 7 this year and ends on July 22.
Xiaoshu falls in the first of the three consecutive “fu” periods. In Chinese, “fu” means to lurk or hide, and heat prevention becomes the theme of the time.
Sunlight becomes aplenty and temperature rises as the sun reaches 105 degrees of the celestial longitude on Xiaoshu, preceding the next solar term “Major Heat” when real heat begins.
Three phases of Xiaoshu
In the first phase of Xiaoshu, winds go warmer. Crickets hide from the heat during the second phase. In the last phase, eagles fly higher due to the high temperatures near the surface of the earth.
Ramping up measures for flood season
For areas located on the lower stretches of the Yangtze River, the “plum rain” season continues for a few days as rainfalls and thunderstorms hit more often. Once sunny days come, people will take out winter clothes and air them under the sun to get rid of the moisture, insects, and the smell of mold.
Many parts of the country enter the main flooding season. Therefore, in addition to harvesting wheat, farmers also need to take prevention measures against potential floods, typhoon damages, and overgrown weeds.
However, some areas may plunge into droughts as it gets significantly hotter. Arduous efforts are made to carry out natural disaster monitoring and warning across China.
Cool summer food becomes popular
Chinese people have the custom of “tasting something new” by cooking newly harvested rice or making rice wine in celebration of Xiaoshu. They also tend to have more heat-relieving food, such as wax gourd soup and lotus roots.
Jasmines' flowering season falls around Xiaoshu, and those fragrant flowers are made into jasmine tea, sewed onto the pockets of shirts, or worn as hair accessories.
With the countdown to the hottest days, health professionals recommend people enjoy a light diet instead of oily dishes.
As a Chinese saying goes, “So long as one keeps calm, one doesn't feel the heat too much.” Let us keep calm and carry on in welcome of Xiaoshu.
Watch the English version of the video by Weather China, an online weather service of the China Meteorological Administration, to find out more!
Video/CGTN
Sources: Xinhua, CGTN
Photos: Xinhua, China Daily
Editor: Lv Yun