July 11 marked the arrival of this year's sanfu days, or "dog days of summer" in China.
Sanfu in the Chinese lunar calendar refers to the three 10-day periods that are predicted to be the hottest days of the year, called toufu or chufu (mid-July), zhongfu (late July to early August), and mofu (mid-August).
The beginning of sanfu varies year to year, in accordance with the ancient Chinese dates designated by 10 Heavenly Stems (tiangan) and 12 Earthly Branches (dizi)-- two sets of sequential signs to calculate history and chronicle events.
Let's take a look at some traditional ways to while away the dog days of summer.
Careful dieting
Ancient Chinese developed a refined diet to help beat the heat and to find peace and joy during sanfu.
Health experts say in sanfu, it's better not to drink icy drinks or eat much ice cream, as the heat within one's body is usually felt on the surface of the body, not in the internal organs. Eating more vegetables, less meat, and less oily foods are also recommended to make yourself comfortable on those hot summer days.
In his book titled Shanghan Zabing Lun (Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases), Zhang Zhongjing, an ancient Chinese physician from the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), wrote to prevent and treat heat stroke, the right way is to drink some hot water and sweat, as it is good for boosting blood circulation.
When the weather is sizzling, people's tastes change and so they turn to foods and drinks which they believe can help relieve "inner heat" in the human body.
Over the centuries, people in different parts of China have created a wide variety of local delicacies to cool off at the dinner table.
Among the best known "cooling" treats and drinks are bitter melons, cucumbers, black wood ear fungus, herb jelly, sour plum juice, ginger tea, green mung bean soup, and duck soup.
TCM treatment
Sanfu is believed to be the best time to cure diseases of a chronic and cold nature, often occurring or being worse in the winter, such as coughs, asthma, and arthritis. Receiving futie, or sanfutie (a medicinal patch), is one of the most popular ways to treat such winter ills in China.
Sanfutie is a bandage with traditional Chinese herbal medicine. The treatment is based on the traditional Chinese medicine principle of yin and yang, which views the balance of the elements in the body as a vital condition for good health.
A piece of sanfutie usually contains a paste of herbal extracts that are "hot" in nature according to TCM theories, and when applied to specific acupuncture points, usually on the back, shoulder, and neck, they replenish the yang elements.
The sanfu patch treatment has been used in TCM since the earliest recorded times of Chinese history, as it is found in the Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), a must-learn textbook for TCM practitioners, compiled at least 2,000 years ago.
Sanfutie treatment became extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and has enjoyed a revival in recent decades as more patients turn to TCM treatment.
Calming activities
During sanfu, people cannot control hot temperatures outside, but they can make every effort to keep themselves cool. As a famous Chinese saying goes, "You will feel cool when you are calm."
Ancient Chinese believed one could stay cool while engaging in calming activities like deep breathing and meditating, reading, writing calligraphy, fishing and gardening.
Engaging in such activities can help people relax and cool down as their body temperature drops and heartbeat and breathing slow down, health experts say.