August 7 this year is the beginning of autumn, which is the thirteenth of the twenty-four solar terms and the first of autumn. From the beginning of autumn, the yang qi gradually harvested, everything was introverted, and began to grow from luxuriant growth to mature results.
The ancients divided Liqiu into three seasons: "one waits for the cool breeze to arrive, the second waits for the white dew to be born, and the third waits for the cold cicadas to chirp." In fact, autumn does not represent the end of the extreme heat. As the saying goes, "the heat is in three volts", Liqiu is often still in the middle of the volt, to really feel the autumn high, most parts of the mainland have to wait until before and after the white dew. "Autumn after a volt", this period of time is still relatively "difficult", for farmers and agriculture is also valuable.
As the saying goes: "Late autumn, hot dead cattle". This year is the late autumn, the Year of the Tiger may meet the "autumn tiger", people who are afraid of heat naturally prefer "early autumn, cool and fluttering". However, for agricultural affairs, it is "autumn harvest in July, and autumn in June." Because if the lunar calendar is in autumn in July, the summer harvest crops and autumn harvest crops have enough growth time and heat, good growth and high yield; If the autumn is in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, it is the early autumn, the weather will soon become cooler, the crop growth time and heat are not sufficient, and the growth and yield will be affected.
Farmers drive a harvester to harvest recycled rice in mengxi temple community in Mengxi Town, Li County, Changde City, Hunan Province, on Aug. 6 (drone photo). Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Bai Yipu)
"Standing" is the beginning; "Autumn" means ripening. Autumn first means that the crops begin to bear fruit, and from the south to the north, the rice blossoms and bears fruit, the soybean pods, the corn is spouted, the cotton is knotted, and the sweet potatoes are rapidly expanded. Therefore, after the autumn, the field crops have urgent requirements for moisture, and the agricultural proverb says that "three rains in the autumn, and the rice becomes rice".
Behind every agricultural proverb is the profound understanding of agricultural knowledge and natural laws Chinese for thousands of years. "Cotton stands in autumn, tall and short together", that is to say, in the autumn season, cotton is timely topping, whole branches, removing old leaves, smearing extra buds, can reduce the rotten bells and promote a bumper harvest; "Seven digging gold, eight digging silver", it is said that before the autumn, we must quickly hoe the grass and turn the soil, so that the weeds cannot take root after the autumn, and the autumn digging can "cut the grass and remove the roots", loosen the soil, store water and protect the soil.
Farmers in Zhangjiawa Village, Jingxing County, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, hoe grass in a field growing Chinese medicinal herbs on August 6. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zhang Xiaofeng)
Speaking of Liqiu health, folk have the custom of "liqiu" on the day of "sticking autumn fat" and "biting autumn". Autumn is suitable for human body supplementation, after a period of time after autumn is still full of heat, humidity is also very large, people will have a hot and humid feeling, coupled with the summer because of bitter summer or overeating cold drinks, there are many spleen and stomach function weakening phenomenon, so the early autumn supplement should be clear and should not be too greasy, should eat hot spleen, moist and dry, nourishing yin and moist lungs of food, such as white fungus, lily, banana, pear and so on.
Coordinator: Wang Shuhui
Reporter: Wang Libin
Editors: Leng Yanyan, Luan Ruohui
Poster Production: Luan Ruohui