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Chushu, a solar term marking the end of summer heat

Chushu (处暑, chǔ shǔ) falls on August 23 this year. It's the 14th solar term in Chinese lular callendar. 

Chushu reflects the changing of temperature. "Chu" means "stop" and "shu" means "summer", so Chushu indicates that the hot summer is ending. However, in fact, it is not cool yet at the moment and could be still very hot in some days, especially in the afternoon of sunny days. This is also a busy season of harvesting for farmers.

Weather

In the Chushu period, it's still hot during the day but quite cool in the morning and evening. This is a period where the weather changes from hot to cold, so people have to adjust the balance of yin (negative) and yang (positive) in the body according to traditional Chinese medicine. People are advised to wear suitable clothes and have enough sleep.

Lifestyle

For better health, nutritionists advise people to drink more water, light tea, juice, milk, or soybean milk, and eat fresh vegetables and fruits. Fried or spicy food should be avoided.

The following are seven things you should know about Chushu, also known as End of Heat.


Enjoying fall colors in early September

In China, regions beyond the Great Wall will enter autumn in early September. People can enjoy the scenery as it changes gradually from summer to autumn.

Autumn weariness

There is a saying that, "People tend to feel sleepy in spring, doze in summer and feel tired in autumn." As the weather becomes cool during End of Heat, many people will feel languid and weary, which is called "autumn weariness". It is a sign that the human body needs rest, since people have consumed excessive energy in the summer. Get enough sleep, do more exercises and keep plants indoor to help.

Enjoying clouds

When the End of Heat comes, summer heat is gone. Clouds in the sky scatter around forming different shapes. There is a saying that goes, "Enjoying the clouds of various forms in July and August (lunar month)."

Time for night-blooming cereus

The night-blooming cereus is a flower full of mystery, which often blooms during the period of End of Heat. This is because the climate during End of Heat, characterized by warm days and cold nights, is similar to tropical deserts. Night-blooming cereus originates in the tropical deserts from Mexico to Brazil in South America. They blossom at night to avoid the blazing daytime sun.


Eating Duck

Duck has a sweet flavor and according to Chinese traditional medicine it has a "cool" nature. A folk tradition is to eat duck during the End of Heat period. There are many recipes for cooking duck such as roast duck, cooked duck with lemon, smoked duck with walnut dressing and sautéed duck with ginger shoots. The tradition of eating duck during the End of Heat period is still popular in China.

The Fishing Season Festival

For fishermen, the End of Heat is a season of harvest. During this period, the Fishing Season Festival is held in regions along the coastline of the East China Sea in Zhejiang province. The festival is held on the day when the fishing ban ends and fishermen can start fishing again. Due to high temperatures in the sea, stocks of fish remain and become mature. People can enjoy many kinds of seafood during this period.

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2016-08-24

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