#我来唠家常#
▲ Pink walls and tiles in the snow, ink Jiangnan. Photo by Derek Chen
-The Legend of the Gentleman of Things-
A little snow
Southerners become children
Almost every southerner, when they saw the snow in the north for the first time, was disliked by their friends in the north: "What's so beautiful about that little snow, isn't it every year, and you have to sweep it." ”
▲ Hangzhou Flower Port, ships return to shore in snow. Photo by Han Yang
For northerners, goose feather snow is the daily routine; And for southerners, sporadic light snow is a carnival. Therefore, when the "overlord-level" cold wave swept through most of China, crossed the Yangtze River, and waved south, northerners were worried about cooling down, but southerners were looking forward to snow - especially Guangdong friends, while hesitating to take out the down jacket at the bottom of the box, while eagerly asking in the circle of friends:
"Huh? Will there be snow this year? ”
▲ Zhouzhuang snow scene, the snow in the south of the Yangtze River is often sporadic and sparse, outlining the outline of the water town. Photography / Dai Yifan
Of course, snow may be absent (for example, there is a high probability that there will be no snow in Guangzhou), but the cold will never be late - the "quick-freezing" cooling brought by the cold wave has made the "Sichuan style wet and cold" in Sichuan and Chongqing, the "Chu school wet and cold" in Hunan and Hubei areas, and the "Shanghai style wet and cold" in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai have reached a climax.
▲ In Zhangjiajie, Hunan, heavy snow covered the mountains and rivers. Photo by Li Qiong
"It never snows in the city I live in, but my memories are full of cold feelings", what is the charm of snow that can make southerners brave the cold but look forward to it?
▲ In Lushan, Jiangxi, a group of tourists climbed the snow peak. Photo by Xiao Nanbo
Snow in the south, once in a thousand years?
The first snow of winter in 2020 came a little earlier than usual.
▲Nanjing Ming Filial Piety Mausoleum, the pavilion in the ice and snow is particularly luxurious. Photo by Derek Chen
According to the data of the National Climate Center, most of the first snow in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River over the years is after mid-to-late December, and even postponed to January next year in the south - but this year, perhaps the cold air year-end rush performance, after the "double 12", only 2 days Hefei, Nanjing, Changsha, Wuhan, Nanchang, Hangzhou and other places have signed for the first snow, the world has changed color, and the south is jubilant.
▲ Wuhan East Lake, the shore is dyed with snow. Photo by Shi Yaochen
Compared with this "overlord-level" cold wave, half a month ago it seemed to be just a rehearsal - from December 28th to 31st, the strong cold air from Siberia "free shipping" and "one-time direct" will go all the way south to "freeze" eighty percent of the country's land after entering the mainland, bringing "quick-frozen" cooling and accompanying everyone on New Year's Day. However, the cold is cold, will the snow really fall?
▲ Distribution map of snow time at the beginning of the previous year. Cartography / Wu Pan
To see the snow in the southwest, the strong cold air must first cross the huge Qinling Mountains and the Daba Mountains -
For Chengdu people, snow is the most familiar stranger. On the one hand, when the weather is clear, you can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance in the urban area of Chengdu, "the window contains the snow of Xiling Thousand Autumns", and a piece of white seems to be right in front of you; On the other hand, due to the barrier of mountains on all sides, the strong cold air is already at the end of the strong crossbow when it reaches the Sichuan Basin, and even if it snows, it is only sporadic "scalp snow".
▲ Looking at the snow-capped mountains in Chengdu, it is impossible to see, and you can only "look at the snow and sigh". Photography / Stonefish
The same "looking at the snow and sighing" are also Kunming people in the "Spring City".
Due to the barrier of Wumeng Mountain on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, a large amount of cold air accumulates on the east side of the mountain range and cannot go deep, so it can only "confront the east and west" with the warm air, and finally forms a quasi-stationary front at the junction of Yunnan and Guizhou, so there is a great climate difference between Yunnan and Guizhou - when the cold rain in Guiyang knocks on the window, Kunming is still like spring all year round, not to mention snow.
▲ Guiyang Jiaxiu Building in the snow. Photo by Wrangler
In South China, the cold air that has traveled here is already unsustainable, coupled with the barrier of the South Ridge, the Cantonese people who are most looking forward to the snow are basically not connected to the snow.
However, there is always an unexpected surprise - at the beginning of 2016, the "old nest" of cold air - the Arctic vortex itself moved south, and under the influence of this, the urban area of Guangzhou ushered in the only snowfall since meteorological records began in 1951, which not only allowed Guangzhou citizens to see snowflakes in their hometown for the first time, but also refreshed the southern boundary of snowfall since the beginning of New China.
▲ Christmas "snow" falls in Shenzhen, and the romantic atmosphere is like entering a fairy tale world. Photo/Visual China
It is precisely because of the scarcity of snow that South Chinese people, represented by Cantonese people, are extremely obsessed with snow - among the top 10 permanent places for ice and snow lovers, except for Beijing and Tianjin, the remaining 8 are all southern cities; The province with the most ice and snow parks is Guangdong, which artificially creates a southern snow landscape.
Compared with the southwestern and southern Chinese people, the meteorological "Jiangnan people" - in addition to the "frozen Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai", including Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, southern Hubei, northern Fujian and other places residents, appear to be much more "lucky" - there are more plains here, basically there are no high mountains to block, and the cold air can go south; The latitude is higher than that in southern China, and the minimum temperature can be close to 0°C.
▲ Fujian Longyan Liantai Mountain. Photo by Liu Yanhui
When this cold wave came, snow finally fell on a large area in the south.
Why is snow better with Gangnam?
"The snow in the south of the Yangtze River is so moist and beautiful; It was the news of youth that was still faintly faint, and it was the skin of a very strong virgin. There are blood-red Baozhu camellia in the snowy field, a single-petaled plum blossom in white and hidden green, and a plum blossom in the dark yellow chime......"
- Lu Xun "Snow"
▲ Suzhou, Jiangsu, Yiyuan after the first snow. Photo by Ding Jiayi
The snow in the south has always been despised by the northerners-
Every winter, cold air from places such as northern Siberia meets the warm and humid air currents provided by the surrounding oceans, and the water vapor condenses into ice and "grows" into snowflakes. However, when the temperature is higher than 0°C, the snowflakes partially melt, resulting in a sleet that is "not painful and itchy" in the south, which melts when touched and falls without a trace.
▲ In Zhouzhuang in the snow, the rowing man rows in the wind and snow. Photo by Li Ping'an
However, Jiangnan is just right for Xiaoxue, like a few brushstrokes, outlining her already delicate face.
When the snow falls in Hangzhou, the locals always say, "Qingxi Lake is not as good as Yuxi Lake, Yuxi Lake is not as good as Snow West Lake" - looking from afar, the lonely mountain is white, the broken bridge is like practice, the whole West Lake is covered with a layer of fine and thin white veil, only the lake is clear and beautiful, every causeway, every boat, every pavilion is full of style, even the people who watch the snow with umbrellas are also colorful and lovely.
▲ "Snow West Lake" under Leifeng Tower. Photo by Han Yang
When the snow falls on the Yellow Mountain, hangs under the eaves of people's houses, floats into the square patio, and covers the mottled tiles, the Hui style architecture of "Pink Wall Daiwa Matou Wall" blends with the background, and only black and white are left between heaven and earth, and the snow is spread out like rice paper, creating a long scroll of freehand landscape painting.
▲ Chengkan Ancient Village in Huangshan, Anhui Province, dreams of returning to Huizhou as soon as the snow falls. Photo by Han Yang
The snow falls more in Nanjing in the north, the white snow of Zhumen in the Ming Tomb, the high wall and deep courtyard faintly reveal the royal spirit of Jinling, the pale yellow plum in the wind and snow sends out a cold fragrance, and there are Qixia Temple, Jiming Temple, Jinghai Temple, Linggu Temple...... The towers and temples in the temple are all white-headed, and a snow makes the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties look new.
▲ 风雪中的南京鸡鸣寺。 摄影/Derek Chen
There are also Suzhou gardens in the light snow, which are more delicate and elegant; Zhouzhuang, a water town covered by snow, has a unique charm. Even the southerners in the snow look more elegant-
▲ The snow fell in Zhouzhuang, and the pink wall and tiles met plain silver makeup. Photography / Tao Yuan
Zhang Dai, a Ming man who lives by the West Lake, surrounds the hearth, makes wine, and watches the snow in the Lake Center Pavilion, the sky and the clouds, the mountains and the water, up and down are white; The prince of the Jin dynasty (yóu), who lived in Jishan Mountain, visited friends by boat in the night snow, and returned after seeing the snow scene.
▲ In Hangzhou Yuhu Bay, the pavilion in the lake has the taste of "watching the snow in the lake pavilion". Photo by Han Yang
Of course, there is also heavy snow in the south - especially in Hunan, which is "hot to death in summer and cold to death in winter", due to the "horseshoe-shaped" topography opening to the north, it is more suitable for cold air to drive straight in, and the territory is rich in water vapor, which is particularly prone to heavy snowfall.
Therefore, there is the loneliness of Liu Zongyuan's pen:
"Thousands of mountains and birds fly away, and thousands of people disappear"
▲ The original poem was written in Yongzhou, and the picture shows the cable car of Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, which has the artistic conception of "fishing alone in the cold river and snow". Photo by Shi Yaochen
Liu Changqing saw the vastness:
"Chaimen smells the dog barking, and returns to the people on a snowy night"
▲ The original poem was made in Hunan, the picture shows Guangji Temple, and someone stepped on the snow and returned. Photo by Fang Thomas
Every year, a large number of southerners go to the north to see the snow, in fact, as long as you have patience and wait, the snow scene in the south is definitely not inferior to the north.
Snow, the romance and sorrow of the South
At the end of each year, southerners only look forward to three things: snow, Chinese New Year and year-end bonuses.
▲ 南京老门东。 摄影/Derek Chen
The difficulty of winter in the south lies in the romance of rare heavy snowfall, and the erosion of wet and cold weather, and the lack of the protection of northern heating.
Even if it's South China, I'm afraid that this year I will have to experience the limited wet and cold in winter - yesterday due to the southward squeezing of the warm air mass caused by the "frontal warming", Guangdong friends also vest slippers, all kinds of "baa", saying that "the whole country knows that Guangdong is cooling, except for Cantonese people"; But today and tomorrow you will be able to feel the biting cold wave, so be sure to take precautions.
▲ Above: Lushan watching the snow at dusk, photography / Xiao Nanbo; Below: Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve in Fujian Province, plum blossoms are frozen over. Photo by Liu Yanhui
To make matters worse, snow in the south tends to form freezing rain, causing natural disasters – the 2008 snow disaster in the south was largely due not to snow, but to freezing rain.
In terms of diet, in order to survive the harsh winter, the traditional winter limited food of southerners is mainly based on hot soup and meat to supplement calories; On the other hand, due to the damp and cold, it also needs to be treated with antiseptic.
For example, for the Sichuan people who have experienced the "Sichuan style of dampness and cold", lap-mei is the taste of the New Year.
▲ When the sausage begins to occupy the balcony, the cured meat in the air is scattered, which is the happiest New Year's flavor. Photography / Shen Zhicheng / "New Year on the Tip of the Tongue"
As early as after the winter solstice, almost every household in Sichuan hung sausages under the eaves - stuffed with full meat filling to replenish calories; Sesame pepper and chili pepper are infused into the soul of Sichuan flavor, which can dispel dampness and cold. After smoking, drying, and drying, salt and fire were the best means of preserving meat left over from hunting and slaughtering in the days when there were no refrigerators.
In a sausage, there is the texture of years of polishing, the breath of red dust and fireworks, the pleasure of spicy life, and the abundance of fat and thin, which is the common taste memory of Sichuan people and even all southerners.
▲ Figure 1: Hangzhou sauce duck. Photography / Du Enlong, Picture / Picture Worm Creative ; Figure 2: Eel dried on the coast of Zhoushan, before the advent of refrigeration equipment, drying was the most common method of seafood storage. Photo/Visual China
Similarly, there are also sauce ducks dried by Hangzhou people in winter; The people of Ningbo and Zhoushan near the sea will dry the autumn harvest into fish; The Jinhua people made ham from the local two-headed black...... In the past years, sausages, bacon, cured meats, and dried fish hanging in the wind and snow were enough to soothe the bitter cold.
There are also Jiaxing people and Huzhou people, who will use braised mutton to match noodles, called "crispy sheep noodles". Every time in the beginning of winter, a notice is posted at the door of the noodle shop - "Since the beginning of the winter, our store will serve crispy sheep noodles, welcome to taste." "There are always customers who are willing to get up early and touch the dark for that bowl of noodles, even if it snows, they have to run to wait in line as soon as it is dawn, for fear that the mutton will run out if they are late.
▲ With the autumn breeze, Jiaxing's restaurant began to sell crispy sheep noodles. Photo/Visual China
Even so, southerners still love wet and cold winters, just by looking at the memories of Shaoxing native Lu Xun about snow-
"The children are red from the cold, and their little hands like purple sprouts and ginger come together to shape Snow Arhat...... It's white, it's bright, it's bonded by its own moisture, and the whole thing shines brightly. The children used the longan core to make him eyeballs, and stole rouge from someone's mother's fat powder to put on his lips......"
▲ Ruixue Mega Year. Photography / Yang Mo
When I got through the wet and cold, watched the snowfall, and ate the sausage, I was in a trance in a blink of an eye, and it was already a bright spring.