China’s traditional agricultural calendar is a marvel. Perfectly timed to the movements of the sun, the calendar breaks down four cardinal seasons into twenty-four cycles (节期). Big moments like the summer solstice hit precisely in the middle of the season, with three, two-week cycles on either side. It’s all quite tidy. This is a calendarContinue reading “Lixia 立夏, Summer begins”
Tag Archives: dinner
Chinese beef balls 牛肉丸
Ah the humble beef ball. Subject of countless dirty jokes, smutty nicknames, and at least one trashy Hong Kong movie that makes liberal use of both. More than their lesser-known pork cousins, beef balls command a cache that makes them culturally iconic. That’s in part because they are scarce, at least the good ones. ProperContinue reading “Chinese beef balls 牛肉丸”
Hanlu 寒露 and these drying times
China’s fourth season of Autumn (October 8-23) The fourth season of autumn is called Hanlu. Meaning “cold dew,” the name strikes a tone significantly more ominous than the season of “white dew” just a few weeks back. White dew sounds like it could be a refreshing dessert. Cold dew is nothing less than a portentContinue reading “Hanlu 寒露 and these drying times”
Bailu 白露 (White dew)
September 7-21 Welcome to China’s third season of Autumn. Meaning “White Dew,” Bailu started on September 7th, which makes me about a week late to the table. Here in Beijing, it’s finally starting to feel like fall. Over the past month, the muggy summer air started drying out, but the heat at midday could stillContinue reading “Bailu 白露 (White dew)”
Guizhou: Rice paddy fish
China’s southern Guizhou isn’t so much out there as up there. It’s part of the Yun-Gui Plateau, the first of a series of steps that ascend higher and higher into the clouds until eventually you’re in the snowcaps of Tibet. It’s also where I spent a few weeks last summer. Invited by friends from aContinue reading “Guizhou: Rice paddy fish”
Thomas David DuBois 