中国范儿 65 霜降：秋已逝，冬将至

The temperature in late autumn is plummeting rapidly. According to the ancient book Interpretations of the Twenty Four Solar Terms, cold air and descending frost herald the beginning of the season of frigidity. Shuangjiang, or Frost's Descent, is the time when the weather is becoming colder, and the dews congeal into frost. As one of the 24 solar terms, Shuangjiang usually happens around October 23 each year in China when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 210 degrees.

Shuangjiang marks the time to pay the farewell to the autumn season. In some autumn nights, the temperature can abruptly plummet below zero, causing drastic heat loss at ground level. Then, vapor in the air freezes either on the ground or the plants in the form of white tiny ice needles or hexagonal flower shapes with fragile structures. As the last solar term of the autumn, Shuangjiang heralds the coming of the winter season.

By the time of Shuangjiang, most of the harvesting work is already completed in northern China. But in the south, the harvest is still in its heyday, as farmers have to take home the late rice, plow the fields, and plant the winter wheat and oilseed rape.

The early frost is also known as Chrysanthemum Frost since Shuangjiang is the time that chrysanthemum blossoms. The Chinese express their admirations for chrysanthemum through such customs like chrysanthemum fair. After Shuangjiang, the leaves of the maple tree and smoke tree will turn the landscape into spectacular fire-like red. As a Chinese poem goes, the frosted autumn leaves outshine February flowers in redness. People generally enjoy hiking and sightseeing in this season. With the advent of Shuangjiang, the famous Fragrant Hill of Beijing is about to usher in the season that leaves turn from slightly red, to fire-like red and finally to dark purple.

Shuangjiang is also the time that persimmons get ripe. In some parts of China, eating persimmons is a distinctive custom during the solar term of Shuangjiang. The Chinese believe that permissions could not only keep off the coldness but also strengthen the muscles and bones.

The autumn almost came to an end, and the winter is just around the corner. Shuangjiang is the last solar term in autumn. Shuangjiang witnesses the time that the temperature is in decline and the atmosphere is becoming drier. So, dehydration can become a problem for many people. That is why the Chinese have been attaching great importance to maintaining health during the time of Shuangjiang. As a Chinese saying goes, Shuangjiang is the best time in a year to nourish the body. Here, we can have a glimpse of the importance the Chinese had attached to Shuangjiang. The first thing on the to-do list is keeping warm, followed by precautions against dehydration. People should also increase the amount of physical exercise. As for the diet, people are instructed to eat those foods that help nourish the spleen and fend off dehydration. Recommended foods include the radish, chestnuts, autumn pears, lily, honey, beef, and chicken, etc.

来源：中国网

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