Winter · No.21
Major Snow
Da Xue
The snow grows heavier and northern ground keeps its cover; days are short and icicles hang from the eaves.
By Major Snow northern temperatures sit below freezing, snow stays on the ground, and after one fall the landscape is white to the horizon. The south gets sleet that soaks straight through coats. Pheasants stop calling, deer begin to pair, and a hardy grass puts out new shoots. Work is storage and insulation: grain against damp, barns bedded with straw, greenhouses draped with mats. Northern households salt pork with spices and hang it under the eaves to dry, while in the north-east sweet bean buns are steamed and frozen outside the window. Roads turn slick, so wear treaded shoes.
Three pentads
- 1
Pheasants fall silent and the woods go quiet
- 2
Tigers begin to pair and range through the hills
- 3
A hardy grass puts out shoots despite the cold
What people eat now
sweet potato
Sweet potatoes are sweetest around Major Snow; a roasted one from a street oven warms your hands for a long while.
mutton soup
Mutton soup belongs to Major Snow, big pots outside northern restaurants, broth milky, meat tender under coriander.
napa cabbage
Around Major Snow northern families stockpile napa cabbage, stacked in the stairwell, the most reassuring sight of winter.
What people wear
Major Snow brings the heaviest falls, so wrap up properly before going out: down coat, thick scarf, gloves, snow boots. Leave no gap at the neck or wrist, where the wind gets in. Once indoors, do not strip at once; wait until the chill leaves your clothes before peeling layers.