立冬：万物“藏” 蓄能量Lidong: Conserving Energy for the New Year According to the Gregorian calendar, the beginning of winter is usually marked on November 7 or 8. It is the 19th solar term of the 24 solar terms and the first solar term in winter. “Li”, the beginning of winter, and “Dong”, the end of the year, send everyone into hiding: animals hibernate, autumn crops are harvested and stored and even humans find their mobility restricted.
The first is hiding from cold. As cold air breezes sweep through the country, temperatures drop and it may become difficult to maintain the balance between the body and its organs. The focus of health preservation at this moment is to keep warm. According to traditional Chinese medicine, cold is harmful to one’s Yang Qi (life energy). Therefore, special attention should be paid to keeping self warm. People can don multiple layers or choose to stay in bed late to nurture their Yang Qi. The second is absorbing energy from food. Foods that drive away cold should be stocked in the kitchen. In the southern part of the country, people tend to eat high calorie foods, such as chicken, duck, fish and so on. The Chinese attach great importance to the concept of connection or ‘Jiao’. Jiao is the tiny period in time when two otherwise contradictory things come together, for example, the day burns into dusk and seasons melt into one another. Lidong is when autumn is giving way to icy winds, so it is also an important time node. During this time, in the northern part of the country, people are also enjoying Jiao of a different kind — they feast on dumplings which are called Jiaozi. The transition from autumn to winter was an important festival in ancient times. The emperor would hold a ceremony in the countryside, ministers were provided extra layers, and subsidizeditems were given to the destitute such as widows and orphans. Winter clothes were prepared and even there was a tradition of burning paper clothes as an offering for ancestors to help them ward off cold. The festivities warmed hands, as well as hearts, of communities as they geared up for a bitter battle with cold. With winters in full swing, vegetation withers, insects fall into slumber, and activities in general stagnate. But the human spirit does not wane. A certain degree of sporting activity enhances the human body’s resistance to cold winter. So today many people use new ways to “welcome winter” — such as winter swimming, which not only exercises the body, but also increases the fun of life. Winter is thus a time to rest and reflect, conserve and nourish one’s energy and resources, while getting ready to welcome the next season. As poet Shelley put it, “If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” 来源：中国网 长按识别二维码可关注该微信公众平台