The 'Great Heat': What does lunar calendar tell about China’s rising mercury levels?

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Saturday marks Da Shu, or the "Great Heat", the 12th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese calendar. When the "Great Heat" begins, half of the year has passed.

Being the last solar term in the summer, it also marks that the scorching heat has reached its peak. The ancient Chinese people described the world during the period as "steaming and boiling".

Lotus blossoms. /VCG Photo

Get to know the "Great Heat"

The Great Heat usually coincides with the "Sanfu", or the "dog days of summer", which lasts 40 days from mid-July to the end of August. Despite the hot weather, the period is also when the rain is most frequent and the crops grow fastest.

Floods or drought are among the most commonly seen natural disasters during the period. Therefore farmers are advised to harvest the early rice along the Yangtze River, so as to secure the timely planting of the late rice.

Irrigation of crops at this time is also important for preventing droughts and guaranteeing the harvest in the autumn.

Rice field in south China. /VCG Photo

However, signs of autumn also are intertwined with the hot days. In The Book of Rites (Li Ji in Chinese), one of the classic works of Confucianism written in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 B.C.-256 B.C.), the Great Heat was divided into three pentads, with the last one marked by "frequent rains", which, according to the ancient Chinese, will wash away the heat and bring in the cool air of autumn.

What to eat during the 'Great Heat'

As a nation renowned for its diversified cuisine, surely the Chinese ancestors must have developed a tradition of what is best to eat during each solar term and how they would improve one's health.

But the preferred dishes varied in different areas of the country. In east China's Shandong Province, residents like to enjoy a bowl of mutton soup, with spices, vinegar and garlic added to it. They believe the sweat from eating the hot food will bring out harmful elements accumulated in the bodies.

Mutton soup, litchi and grassy jelly. /VCG Photo

Litchi is the fruit preferred by many in southeast China's Fujian Province during the Great Heat. Rich in glucose and vitamins, litchi is not only nutritious, but is also a good choice to help relieve the heat of the summer.

The Cantonese favor grassy jelly during the Great Heat, a type of dessert made by boiling the Platostoma palustre plant. Served chilled and tasting bitterly sweet, the dessert has enjoyed great popularity through today.

Other areas of China also have their own favorite dishes. For instance, gingered eggs and chicken porridge are widely eaten in east China, which local residents believe will help to boost qi, or the energy flow of the human body.

Chinese garden in the summer. /VCG Photo

Ancient Chinese also celebrated the Great Heat with different activities, such as praying for health and wealth and playing cricket. Today, people are advised to stay inside instead of doing fierce sports. Reading and tea drinking are also recommended activities for these days.

The 24 Solar Terms, developed by the ancient Chinese through observing the sun's annual motion, is a guide to the agricultural activities of the old days. It was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritages of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2016.