Xianhan is the 23 solar term and happens on January 5 to January 7 when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 285 degrees. To China, “Moderate Cold” indicates the weather starts to enter the coldest days.
The average temperature in Beijing during this period is around minus 5 degree Celsius and some places in north China can reach minus 30 degree Celsius. Temperature around Qin ling Mountain and Huai he River is kept at around 0 degree Celsius.
Seasonal Food
In Nanjing, people often eat vegetable and rice. In Guangdong province, people eat glutinous rice in the morning. Usually the rice consists of 60 percent of glutinous rice and 40 percent of fragrant rice. People fry some preserved meat and peanut and eat it together with the rice.
To prevent from the coldness, it’s better to eat food that can provide heat and energy to human’s body, for example, food with hot natures including trout, hot pepper, and food with warm nature such as glutinous rice, chives, fennel, caraway, asparagus, lamb and chicken.
(Note: Some words are selected from Hujiang English and some pictures from internet.)
