[ChinaMaxxing] The Weather We're Having Now Is Called Xia Zhi

Xia Zhi (夏至, xiàzhì), or Summer Solstice, is the tenth of the 24 solar terms and marks the point when the Northern Hemisphere receives its maximum amount of daylight. It brings the year's longest day, and also signals the start of summer heat building toward its annual peak.

What It Feels Like Right Now

This year, Summer Solstice falls on Sunday, June 21. It's the longest day of the year, with around 14 hours of daylight in Shanghai (the sun rises before 5am and doesn't set until past 7pm).

We're also entering the plum rains period right around now – a touch later than the seasonal average – which means the next couple of weeks will see forecasts alternate between thunderstorms, overcast skies, and bursts of heavy rain.

This is also when Shanghai's cicadas typically start up, usually a couple of weeks after the plum rains let up. Once they start, they don't really stop until autumn.

Things People Do (Or Used to Do) During This Term

Eating noodles: There's an old saying – "dumplings for Winter Solstice, noodles for Summer Solstice" (冬至饺子夏至面). The exact reasoning varies depending on who you ask; some say it's because fresh wheat is harvested around now, so eating noodles made from the new crop is a way of marking the occasion. Cold noodles are especially popular in Shanghai at this time of year, where they're often served with shredded cucumber, bean sprouts, and optional protein ranging from braised pork to smoked fish.

Enjoying lotus flowers: Lotus ponds across the city start coming into bloom around now; Daning Park and Guyi Garden are some popular sites to see them. Even at this early stage, you'll start seeing photographers stationed at the water's edge, all chasing the same shot. Early morning – ideally before 8am, before the petals begin folding back up for the day – is the ideal time to go.

Standing eggs: One of the most well-known Summer Solstice traditions is attempting to balance an egg upright. The folk belief is that something about the solstice's particular alignment makes this temporarily easier than on any other day of the year. Scientists will tell you that's not actually true – a steady hand works just as well – but that hasn't stopped generations of children, families, and bored office workers from giving it a go anyway.

What's In Season Right Now

Peaches are arriving properly now – look for the ones from Nanhui (南汇水蜜桃), a Shanghai-grown variety known for being almost absurdly juicy. Get them slightly underripe if you're not eating them within a day or two; they go from firm to liquid mess faster than you'd think.

Watermelon is everywhere and at its best. Lychees, having shown up at the tail end of Mang Zhong, are now fully in season.

Corn is having a moment too – both the white, sweeter Chinese varieties sold steamed or grilled on the street, and the more standard yellow corn. Mung beans (绿豆, lǜdòu) are worth stocking up on if you haven't already; cold mung bean soup, sometimes with a bit of rock sugar and lily bulb, is thought to be one of the more effective ways to cool down without AC.

On the vegetable side, winter melon (冬瓜, dōngguā) – despite the deeply misleading name – is a summer vegetable, valued in TCM for clearing heat and dampness from the body. It shows up most often in a light soups with pork ribs or dried shrimp. Bitter melon remains in season as well, for those who made peace with it last solar term.