The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Greater Cold, the 24th solar term, falls on Jan.20th this year. It is the last solar term both in winter and in the Chinese lunar year. During this period, freezing rain and snowy weather has a great impact on people’s lives. Here are six things you ought to know about Greater Cold. 

Cold Current 

During this period, as the cold current moves towards the South, the weather gets rather cold. Despite the fact that in most areas of China, Greater Cold is not as cold as Lesser Cold (the 23rd solar term) according to modern meteorological observation, Greater Cold is still the coldest time of the year in some coastal areas. 

Xiaohan Cake 

At this time of year, it’s the custom for people living in Beijing to eat a kind of rice cake – “Xiaohan cake”. Its main ingredient is glutinous rice (often called sticky rice), which has a higher sugar content than regular rice, and that’s why after eating Xiaohan cake people feel the cold fade away. In Chinese, rice cake is a homophone for “niangao”, which means good luck and constant promotion. 

Buying Sesame Stalk 

In certain regions of China, people are eager to buy sesame stalks during the last solar term. As an old saying goes, “A sesame stalk puts forth blossoms notch by notch, higher and higher.” Buying sesame expresses people’s good wishes about steady improvement of living standards and mental stature. 

Fried Spring Rolls 

In Anqing City, Anhui Province, people always eat fried spring rolls during Greater Cold by tradition. First, they wrap a thin, round cooked pancake around a variety of spreads, roll it into a long, thin spring roll, and then fry it in a frying-pan until it turns golden and comes up from the bottom of the pan. The stuffing for spring rolls includes vegetables and meat, and whether it is salty or sweet is up to your own taste. 

Drinking Stew 

Citizens in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province prefer to drink stew during this period, saying that stew warms them up from head to foot. The kind of stew with ginseng, Lycium barbarum, black fungus and old hen is among the best. 

Winter Sports 

A traditional Chinese proverb says, “It’s so cold during Lesser Cold and Greater Cold that dripping water freezes.” Greater Cold is the best time for people to go skiing, sledding, ice skating and all the other fun winter-time activities. 

By: Xu Lanzhi

Editors: Qin Mian and Keith Harrington

Photo Designer: Yang Yaqian