What
Bailu is the fifteenth of the twenty-four solar terms in China, usually on September 7 or 8 every year. "Bailu" means: the weather turns cooler and the dew in the morning condenses into white. For the Chinese, white dew is the signal that "autumn really begins" - from this day on, the coolness in the morning and evening becomes obvious, and the residual heat of summer completely dissipates.
Why
Why is Bailu so important?
- Climate reasons: During the white dew season, the sun continues to move south, the nights in the northern hemisphere become longer and the temperature drops. "On the night of the autumnal equinox, the weather becomes cooler every night after the white dew." In the early morning, crystal dewdrops began to appear on the grass blades - this is the origin of the name "Bailu".
- Agricultural reasons: During the white dew season, soybeans and sorghum in the north begin to be harvested, and rice in the south begins to "fill". "White dew is white, and the fields are full of yellow millet." - During the white dew season, the fields are golden, which is the season of "harvest". White dew is the "busiest" time for farmers - harvesting, drying and storing.
- Physical reasons: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that white dew should "nourish the lungs". During the white dew season, the air becomes dry and people's skin and respiratory tract are easily damaged. Chinese people eat "pears", "lilies", and "honey" to "moisten their lungs" - these foods are like "natural moisturizers" that moisturize the body from within. After the White Dew, Chinese people no longer eat watermelon - because "autumn melon is bad for the stomach".
How
Three major customs of Bailu:
- Collect the dew: In ancient times, people had to "collect the dew" on this day of white dew - use a plate to collect the dew on the grass leaves in the early morning, and use it to make tea and wash your face. The ancients believed that "clear dew" can "improve eyesight and nourish the face". This custom is now rare, but the image of "collecting clear dew" still remains in Chinese poetry.
- Drink White Dew Tea: During the White Dew season, the tea trees have grown through the summer, and the nutrients in the tea leaves have accumulated to the highest level. "Spring tea is bitter, summer tea is astringent, the best thing to drink is autumn white dew" - white dew tea is considered to be the best tea in autumn. Drinking white dew tea is not "drinking tea", it is "taste the taste of autumn".
- Eating longan: On the White Dew Day in southern China, we eat longan, a sweet and waxy fruit. "White dew eats longan, one is as good as a chicken" - longan is rich in nutrients and can "enrich the blood and calm the nerves". Bailu eats longan to "replenish the energy consumed in summer."
When
The best scene of Bailu: the fields in the early morning. The sun has not yet risen, and the grass blades are covered with dew. Farmers wear long-sleeved clothes and bend over to harvest crops. Dewdrops wet the trousers, but no one complained - this is the "harvest" season and everything is worth it. After the sun rose, the dewdrops disappeared, leaving only golden wheat stubble in the fields.
Where
At Giaokz.com in Florence, we will make "White Dew Tea" on this day. The Italian guest said: "Isn't this our tè delle cinque del pomeriggio?" I said: "No, white dew tea is not 'afternoon tea', it is 'the first cup of tea in autumn'. It is not for refreshing, but for 'moistening the lungs' - the air in autumn is too dry and needs tea to moisten it."
One Word
Cool (liáng)
The core of "Bailu" is "coolness". But this "cool" is not the "cool" of "cold", but the "cool" of "refreshing". After the white dew, the heat of summer completely disappears and is replaced by "clear autumn air" - the sky becomes higher and the air becomes fresher. The Chinese "coolness" is a kind of "comfort" - neither cold nor hot, just right. Bailu tells us: Summer is over and it’s time to enjoy the coolness of autumn.
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> 💡 Remember Bai Dew in one sentence: White dew is the signal of "the real beginning of autumn" - dew condenses, the weather turns cooler, and everything is harvested.