Category: Chinese customs

Lusheng is the Chinese name for a musical instrument with multiple bamboo pipes, each fitted with a free reed, which are fitted into a long blowing tube. It most often has five or six pipes of different pitches, and is thus a polyphonic instrument. It comes in sizes ranging from very small to several meters in length.

什么是小暑？ 我国古代将小暑分为三候："一候温风至；二候蟋蟀居宇；三候鹰始鸷。"小暑时节大地上便不再有一丝凉风，而是所有的风中都带着热浪；由于炎热，蟋蟀离开了田野，到庭院的墙角下以避暑热；在这一节气中，老鹰因地面气温太高而在清凉的高空中活动。每年7月7日或8日视太阳到达黄经105°时为小暑。"斗指辛为小暑，斯时天气已热，尚未达淤极点，故名也". 暑，表示炎热的意思，小暑为小 小暑养生热，还不十分热。意指天气开始炎热，但还没到最热，全国大部分地区基本符合。

Fu Baoshi (1904-1965), born in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province, was one of the most important Chinese artists of the 20th century. He was best-known for his land- and waterscapes.

Li Keran (1907-1989), born Li Yongshun in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, was a renowned contemporary Chinese artist and calligrapher. Li excelled at depicting landscapes, human figures and cattle.

The Lion Dance is one of the most widely spread folk dance in China. Lion is the king of animals. In Chinese tradition, lion is regarded as a mascot, which can bring good luck. The Lion Dance has a long history with records of more than 2,000 years ago. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Lion Dancewas already introduced into the royal family of the dynasty.

Climate characteristics: “Shu” stands for hot, so “Xiao Shu” (Minor Heat) means hot, but not as hot as “Da Shu” (Great Heat). "Xiaoshu" (Minor Heat) often comes in the first half of July in Chinese lunar calendar, when we enter the “Fu” days (dog day), of which the middle “Fu” is the hottest. The average temperature might be 26-27 ℃, with the highest temperature being above 40 ℃. The amount of precipitation will be more than 90 millimeters, with several years (e.x.1961) above 350 mm, making it the wettest term of the whole year. Storms, thunders and hailstones might happen during this time, though in some years there might be summer droughts.

There are many beautiful legends about the Minor Heat among the folks. It is said that “the sixth day of the sixth lunar month” is the day the Dragon King’s palace dries the dragon robe. Because this day is almost the eve of Minor heat, it’s the hottest day in the year, with the longest sunshine time and the strongest sunlight radiation. As a result, all families choose this “Shai Fu” day to sun their clothes that have been kept in the back of their closet in order to prevent mildew.

Thunder-shower 雷阵雨（雷阵雨） With the start of the Minor Heat season and the successive end of the Plum rains in Yangtze and Huai river districts, the rainy season from the Pacific southeast monsoon starts in the extensive area at the north of the Huai River-Qinling Mountains. In east China, there will be an obvious increase in precipitation and a relatively concentrated rainfall. Meanwhile, South China, Southwest China and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are also in the midst of the rainy season both from the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea southwest monsoon. However, under the control of the subtropical high it is high temperature and rainless in the midstream and downstream of Yangze River and the dry season which is usually appeared has a great impact on agricultural production, so it is quite essential to store water early in order to prevent drought. There is a peasants’ proverb—“when it rains in summer there will be rice in the pot”, though the rainfall which is brought from the thunderstorm, tropical storm and the typhoon is beneficial to the crop, such as rice, it will also affect cotton, beans and any other xerophil and vegetables.

In ancient times, our forefathers divided the Minor Heat into three pentads—”the first one is the arrival of hot wind; the second one is the crickets’ settlement in the corner; the third one is the hawks’ fighting in the air”. There will be no cool breeze any more during the Minor Heat. Instead, there will be winds carrying hot waves.