The Begining of Autumn 🍂 in China
Though China enjoys a vast land and diverse climate, it is wildly recognized that autumn (September ~ November) is the best season to travel. Because the weather is always comfortable with fresh air, cool temperature and less rain. No matter whether you want to hike, photograph or sightsee, you can get a very wonderful experience. It can be said that all destinations can be visited in autumn, especially in early and middle autumn (September ~ October).
What are some Chinese Autumn traditions?
Eating dumplings - In Shandong province, people make dumplings during the Start of Autumn, and they call it "Eating the Autumn". On that day, senior members of the family will stand in the middle of the hall and pray for the harvest in autumn. Most families will eat dumplings together after the Start of Autumn day.
Checkout out our simple 15min Dumpling Recipe 👉 Recipe
Eating red beans - Starting from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, ate red beans at the Start of Autumn day. They take seven to 14 little beans, swallowing them with well water. When taking the beans, one must face west, it is said, so as not to get dysentery during the autumn
You can try red bean paste
👉
Red Bean Paste
What about The weather differences?
In northern China (Beijing, Xian, Shandong, Luoyang, Pingyao…), it is cool or even a little hot in September, then you will feel a clear temperature decrease in October and November.
In eastern China (Shanghai, Huangshan, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing…) and southern China (Guilin, Zhngjiajie…) the weather is alike but there are more rainy days in early autumn and the wind is not so strong.
As for southwestern China (Chengdu, Kunming, Guizhou, Chongqing…), the weather is milder with occasional rain.
In northeastern China (Harbin, Jilin, Shenyang…), autumn is short and it feels like winter even though it is only October.
In southern coastal cities (Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau, Xiamen…), it is still rainy in September and then the weather becomes gradually travel-friendly. It is cool in autumn with the temperature slightly decreasing.
In northwestern China (Gansu, Xinjiang, Ningxia…) and Qinghai-Tibet plateau, it is mostly sunny and dry but still cold at night, so you need to pay close attention to the large temperature difference in case of getting a cold.
Inner Mongolia covers a vast region from west to east, but generally speaking, it is cool in September and cold in late autumn and the sunlight is strong at noon.
In the end, autumn is also celebrated in China, there is even a custom of "Touching Autumn" in the northern part of Jiangsu province. On the eve of the Start of Autumn, people can eat and take for free any fruits in private or public gardens, and the owners can not be angry, no matter how much they take. Many gardeners even leave some mellow fruits in the field on purpose for the tradition.
Would you participate?