Start of Autumn is the 13th of the 24 solar terms, which begins on the 8th or 9th of August, signifying the end of summer and the beginning of autumn.

Start of Autumn is the first solar term of July. Although it indicates the beginning of autumn, the hot weather will not come to an end until the White Dew. This period of hot days after Start of Autumn, usually lasting for 30 days, is called “Autumn Tiger” (Qiulaohu in Chinese), or “Indian Summer.” Because of the decreasing precipitation, it is even more sweltering during this period than in Major Heat.

According to the daily average temperature rule, five successive days in which the daily average temperature is below 22℃ mark the beginning of autumn. In that case, in Jianghuai Area, it isn’t the real autumn until late September. After the Start of Autumn, despite of the influence of “Indian Summer,” the general tendency of weather is to cool down, as the difference in temperature between the day and the night becomes broadly apparent.

After the Start of Autumn, the weather turns cool and energy expenditure in the human body decreases little by little, while the appetite increases. Therefore, one’s daily diet should be adapted accordingly to prepare for the coming winter. Autumn is dry, so light food with the function of heat-clearing, yin-nourishing, dryness-relieving and moistening are advisable, such as sesame, honey, tremella and dairy food. At the same time, the intake of water and vitamins is also very important.

Autumn is the best season to take tonics, to guard against viral infections and the recurrence of old illnesses in winter. Nutritious foods include Zizania aquatica, pumpkin, lotus seeds, longan, Chinese dates and walnuts, etc.

Autumn suggests the ripening of corpses. In ancient times, after the collection of corpses in autumn, people would select an auspicious day to thank God for his blessing and celebrate the harvest. During this period of time, plants that are suitable to grow in the southeast coastal zone of China are:

Northern part: cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, celery, beans and shallot.

Central part: tomato, eggplant, celery and Chinese kale.

Southern part: cabbage and potato.

Translated by Qu Ran

Editor: Chen Yanqiu