Autumn · No.14
End of Heat
Chu Shu
The heat ends here; days stay warm but nights cool off, and the clouds thin out and ride higher.
Chushu means the heat is ending. The subtropical high retreats south, cold air becomes active in the north, and a single rain can drop the temperature several degrees. The sky lifts, clouds thin like washed silk. Hawks begin hunting hard and lay their kills on the ground, plants set seed, grain ripens. Work shifts to picking spring maize and drying cotton, and to guarding the crop against mould from long wet spells. Along the coast the fishing ban lifts and boats head out in fleets. Days stay hot while nights cool, so keep a light quilt on the bed.
Three pentads
- 1
Hawks hunt hard and lay their catch on the ground
- 2
The air turns austere and the leaves stiffen
- 3
Millet, rice and sorghum ripen one after another
What people eat now
duck
Ducks are fattest around End of Heat; Jiangnan stews old duck or cures it with salt, and neighbours send portions round.
lotus seeds
Lotus pods ripen in the ponds at End of Heat; the seeds are shelled and simmered in syrup, bitter core and all.
water caltrop
Water caltrops come to market at End of Heat, boiled and shelled as a snack, starchy and sweet.
What people wear
End of Heat means the worst is over: days stay warm, nights cool, and the gap widens. Wear short sleeves with a light jacket, on in the morning and folded into your bag by noon. Change the sleeping mat, use a thin blanket, and stop running the air conditioner all night.