It was "Bai Lu" meaning "White Dew" yesterday. Autumn is almost here with the arrival of "Bai Lu", when most regions in China will experience an obvious temperature drop. The temperature difference can be as big as 10℃ in some cities. When you get up in the morning you may find some white dew on the grass.

sweet-scented osmanthus

Hickory

    Weather in Hangzhou these days is exactly as "white dew" weather supposed to be. The buzzing of mosquitoes that has annoyed us for the whole summer will stop bothering us soon as the best temperature for mosquitoes is 25℃-30℃.

    Now that the temperature in the morning is lower than 25℃, mosquitoes are ready to "get lost".

    After "Bai Lu", the humidity in the air will be condensed to water drops, which brings chilly air near the ground. It still feels warm under the sun; however, it's easy to catch cold now if you still wear summer clothes like singlets. It's also an old wife's tale in China that children or weak people should always wear socks to prevent the chilly air from coming to the body through the feet. Miniskirts are not recommended either as the knees need to be protected.

    Chestnuts and hickorys are in the market. The flavour of autumn in Hangzhou is the sweet burnt stir-fried chestnuts. Hickory, another popular snack of Hangzhou citizens is in its harvest season after "Bai Lu". The farmers in the most well-known county of Ling'an are going to harvest hickory tomorrow.

    Besides, in the Longjing Village, the first cup of Longjing Tea with sweet-scented osmanthus was brewed yesterday.

    Put a pinch of Longjing tea in a transparent glass with a little bit of sweet-scented osmanthus, brew it with boiled water of 75℃-80℃ for a few minutes and your house will be filled up with the sweet aroma of osmanthus.

    At a proportion of 1:10 of sweet-scented osmanthus and Longjing tea, you will taste a slight sweetness.

    The sweet-scented osmanthus used to brew the tea has to be collected in the morning before the dew disappeared under the sun. The best way to collect is to shake the trunks to let the sweet-scented osmanthus fall down naturally. It needs to be treated before you put it into the tea. It is said that masters in each tea village have their secret recipes to treat the sweet-scented osmanthus.

    The first cup of Longjing tea with the sweet-scented osmanthus brew is only limited in Longjing Village at the moment. However, after a couple of weeks, you will be able to find them in popular tea-houses in Longjing, Meijiawu and Manjuelong.

  (Translated by E.C. Hick)