The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into "24 solar terms". Minor Heat (xiao shu), the 11th solar term of the year, lasts from July 7 to July 21 this year.

Minor Heat marks the approach of the hottest period of the year, with intense heat soon to come.

In China, the "24 solar terms" were created thousands of years ago to guide agricultural production. But the concept is still useful today to guide people's lives through special foods, cultural ceremonies and even healthy living tips that correspond with each term.

The following are six things you should know about Minor Heat.

A season of storms, thunder and hail

Storms, thunder and hail often happen during Minor Heat, though in some years there might be droughts. One of the prevailing farming activities during Minor Heat is staying on top of flood control and drought relief.

A season for the lotus flower

In Minor Heat, high temperatures are good for the growth of the simple but elegant lotus flower, which is in full bloom from Minor Heat to the Double Ninth Festival.

Firefly season

Minor Heat is the season when fireflies become active. Zhu Shuzhen, a woman of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), once described in her famous poem Summer Fireflies a happy scene of children playing with fireflies in the woods at night.

Eating small melons

Minor Heat comes as all kinds of melons are being harvested. One custom in Nanjing, Jiangsu province is to enjoy small melons on the day of Minor Heat and have big melons on the day of Major Heat. "Small" and "big" melons normally refer to cantaloupes and watermelons.

Eating dumplings

Dumplings are traditional household food in China. When the "dog day" comes, people tend to lose their appetites, and dumplings can revive people's desire for food.

Sunning clothes

During the Minor Heat period, which has the most daylight and strongest radiation of the year, many families hang their clothes out in the sun to prevent mildew.

Vocabulary

小暑

xiǎo shǔ

Minor Heat

暴风雨

bào fēng yǔ

storm

雷鸣

léi míng

thunder

莲花

lián huā

lotus flower

萤火虫

yíng huǒ chóng

firefly

哈密瓜

hā mì guā

cantaloupe

霉

méi

mildew

小暑标志着一年中最炎热的时段正在临近，酷暑即将到来。

xiǎo shǔ biāo zhì zhe yī nián zhōng zuì yán rè de shí duàn zhèng zài lín jìn，kù shǔ jí jiāng dào lái。

Minor Heat marks the approach of the hottest period of the year, with intense heat soon to come.

小暑期间，农业生产的一项重要任务是防汛抗旱。

xiǎo shǔ qī jiān，nóng yè shēng chǎn de yī xiàng zhòng yào rèn wù shì fáng xùn kàng hàn。

One of the prevailing farming activities during Minor Heat is staying on top of flood control and drought relief.