今日夏至，你应该了解的小知识！
Summer Solstice (夏至) is the 10th solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. The following are several things you might not know about Summer Solstice.
On the Summer Solstice itself, daylight lasts the longest for the whole year in the northern hemisphere (半球). After this day, daylight hours get shorter and shorter and temperatures become higher in the northern hemisphere. How long is the longest day in China? According to the expert Yan Jiarong, the entire day in Mohe in Heilongjiang province, located in the northernmost tip of China, lasts nearly 17 hours. Summer Solstice is the best season for viewing the aurora (极光) in Mohe, “the sleepless town of China”.
Summer Solstice was an important festival in ancient China. As early as the Han Dynasty, when the Mid-autumn Festival and the Double Ninth Festival were not as important as they are today, the Summer Solstice was already celebrated. Before the Qing Dynasty, people even had a one-day holiday on Summer Solstice. According to Song Dynasty records, officials could have three days off during the Summer Solstice.
Mojiang Hani Autonomous County in Southwest China’s Yunnan province is located on the northern tropic (回归线). Every year on the Summer Solstice, the sun sits directly over the Tropic of Cancer and returns from north to south. Then, the amazing phenomenon known as “upright pole with no shadows” occurs. The Hani people respect the sun. They welcome the turn-around of the sun and offer sacrifices to it.
There is a saying in Shandong province which goes, “eat dumplings on the Winter Solstice and eat noodles on Summer Solstice.” People in different areas of Shandong province eat chilled noodles on this day. Other people around China, including those in Beijing, also have a tradition of eating noodles.
Due to the local climate, Loong boat races have been held on the Summer Solstice day in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province rather than on Duanwu Festival since the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. This tradition is still in practice today.
原创编写 版权所有 侵权必究！ 每日更新 个性化阅读 英语飙升！