The biting morning cold is officially here! October is the month of dropping temperature and finally saying swapping summer clothes for winter ones. In the Chinese lunar calendar the year is divided into 24 solar cycles (terms) and as of October 8 to the 23 we are in the Cold Dew ( 寒露) period, which is the 17th term. This is characterized by less rainfall, more moisture (in the case of high pollution then it would be hard to tell) in the air, and harvest period. According to the China Daily report, there are a few things that are interesting about this period. Here are our picks:

Pomegranate Season
It’s time to get your fill of this delicious yet hard to eat fruit that’s ripe during this period. There are numerous fruit peddlers selling this fruit and the markets will have them at a reduced rate. The best part is you can find a farm and go harvest this fruit as a day out of the busy city.

Chrysanthemum Wine
On October 21, China marks the Double Ninth Festival and usually the drink of choice is chrysanthemum wine in the lead up to this day. It’s believed that drinking this wine gives long lasting youth. The iconic flower is added together with poria cocos and pine oleoresin to make the concoction work. Looking for something new to try this season, well this might be it.

Hawthorns Season
Full of antioxidants that help in blood circulation, hawthorns can be found in plenty during this period. Find them on the streets, grocery markets and head to Changping to pick the berries that are closely associated with this season as well.

Hiking Season
This is the best time for hiking as the blazing sun and the freezing cold are no where in within the vicinity. The leaves are changing and this vibrancy of the colors are just the perfect setting to get ready for winter. Here’s a list of hiking routes to try.

To see what other things you need to know about this solar cycle then get the information here.

Photo: Sun Yang/asianewsphoto.com via China Daily 

Its late April and the blossoms still cling to the fruit trees, birds are frolicking, and kites are again soaring in the sky. In Beijing, that can only mean one thing – the arrival of summer.

Many visitors to the capital hold on to the common belief that summertime begins in June, but those who have passed a set of seasons in the ‘Jing know that summer weather comes early here – annoyingly early. Beijingers hardly have time to put away their winter coats and enjoy their lightweight jackets before it is suddenly time to break out the shorts and hike up their t-shirts over their bellies.

Spring is a fabulous time to explore Beijing. Unfortunately, it is also fleeting. Still, summer has its charms. The warmer air often results in a pleasing haze of PM2.5 to obscure unsightly construction sites from view. The still waters of Beijing’s rivers emit a unique bouquet that pairs quite nicely with the odors wafting from the sewer drains. Best of all, the swarthy men of Beijing take on a unique mating ritual where they expose their bellies to see who can wear the look the best.

Yes, summer in Beijing is truly a season for all the senses. No need to rush, it will hang around until early October were it will be followed by a short fall and a long pleasing winter.

Photo: Lorne Thorne (Flickr)

•                   Getting a fan for your room. A fan on a low setting that can keep a light breeze blowing across your room can work wonders. If you don’t like air blowing directly on you while you sleep, you can still make your room cooler by using a fan in your window to circulate fresh air. You may have to use a purifier to ensure that the air quality in the room is good.
•                   Put a small pillow in the freezer an hour or two before you go to bed. Put a few plastic shopping bags over it to keep ice from forming on the fabric.
• Use silk or satin pillowcases, and satin sheets. These fabrics will feel smoother and cooler as you sleep.
•                         If you wake up too hot, consider how many coverings – e.g. over 80F/26C maybe sleep uncovered, over 73F/23C 1 sheet, under that 1 blanket, etc.

•                   Drink water frequently. Your body will feel cooler if you are hydrated. Try drinking eight ounces of water at least every hour. Adding mint leaves, or orange, lemon or cucumber slices to your water makes it more refreshing.
•                   Get a cheap spray bottle – fill it with water, adjust it to fine mist and spray it on your exposed skin for an instant chill-zing cooling effect.
•                   Keep the back of your neck in shade (wear a cap backwards, or raise your collar) or put a wet handkerchief on the back of the neck. The sensor for our body temperature control system is in this area, and so with this method you can make the rest of your body think that you are "cool".
•                   You can relive the 80’s and wear a wet terrycloth headband on your forehead. Or wear a bandana with water soaked on it and put it on your head.
•                   Run cold water over your wrists for 10 seconds on each hand. This will reduce your temperature for roughly an hour.
•                   Soak your feet in a bucket of cold water. The body radiates heat from the hands, feet, face and ears, so cooling any of these will efficiently cool the body. Kids wading pools are great for adults’ feet too.
•                         Fill your bathtub with cool water and get in (this is if you have one). Once you are used to the temperature, let some water out and refill with cold water. Keep doing this until you are sufficiently cold. Your body will stay cool for a long time after you get out. For a fast cool-down, add ice!

• Put a metal bowl of salted ice in front of a fan, and adjust the fan so that the air is blowing over the ice. Or, use one or more 2 liter bottles and fill them mostly full of (water – 70%) & (rock salt – 10% the salt brings the temp of the frozen water down to a lower ºF) (air – 20% for expansion), freeze them, then place them in a large bowl. Position a fan to blow on them. As the salty ice in the bottles melts, the air cools around them. The fan will blow that air at you. The water & salt in the bottles can be refrozen every night and used again repeatedly.
• You can also turn on your stove fan (on the ventilator hood) or open up your chimney flue. These will also draw hot air out of the house and pull cooler evening air into the house.