White Dew Customs

Collecting pure dew is a long-standing folk custom associated with White Dew. The ancients regarded the dew of this season as an essence of Heaven and Earth endowed with auspicious meaning. Folk tradition held that washing the eyes with it could improve eyesight and applying it to the skin could moisturize the complexion. In the water towns of Jiangnan, one can still imagine the graceful scene of children holding celadon bottles beneath bamboo tips and rice ears to catch the droplets of dawn.

The custom has deep cultural roots. Li Shizhen’s Ming-dynasty *Compendium of Materia Medica* records:

“秋露繁时，以盘收取，煎如饴，令人延年不饥”

and also:

“百草头上秋露，未晞时收取，愈百病，止消渴，令人身轻不饥，肌肉悦泽”

as well as:

“百花上露，令人好颜色”

These passages show that the ancients regarded White Dew droplets as a natural medicine capable of treating illness, prolonging life, and enhancing beauty.

The manner of collecting the dew was itself carefully observed. At first light, people gathered the “immortal dew” from lotus leaves or the “jade nectar” from old cypress trees. It might be used to brew fine tea, ferment longevity wine, or prepare herbal formulas, echoing the Daoist idea of “drinking it to cleanse impurity and taking it to open the spirit.”

Emperor Qianlong is said to have ordered dew to be gathered from fresh autumn lotus leaves for making tea, calling it “lotus-dew tea.” Among ordinary people, collecting pure dew carried wishes for health, safety, and well-being.

The custom can be traced back to the pre-Qin period. Qu Yuan wrote in the *Li Sao*:

“朝饮木兰之坠露兮，夕餐秋菊之落英”

expressing the ancient appreciation of morning dew.

In Chinese culture, dew has long been regarded as auspicious, with morning dew considered especially valuable. The droplets of White Dew were seen as the essence of Heaven and Earth, carrying the wish that “dew nourish the ages” and embodying the philosophical idea of resonance between Heaven and humanity and the endless continuation of life.

From the pre-Qin era to the present, the custom has endured for more than two thousand years.

On the morning of White Dew, dew can be collected from plants in parks or the countryside using a clean container, taking care to choose vegetation free from pesticide contamination.

The collected dew may be used to make tea or simply to wipe the face. It is one of the most direct ways to experience the refined seasonal lifestyle of the ancients.

The Autumn She Festival, together with the Spring She Festival, was one of the major traditional celebrations for worshipping the God of the Land in ancient China.

In folk tradition, both the land deity and the place where sacrifices were offered to that deity were called “She.” Seasonal ritual practices therefore developed according to the agricultural calendar. At sowing and harvest time, people set up altars and performed sacrifices, praying for favorable weather while also thanking the gods for their blessings.

The date of the Autumn She Festival follows the traditional sexagenary calendar and falls on the fifth *wu* day after Beginning of Autumn, approximately between White Dew and the Autumn Equinox.

On the day, people worship the gods in gratitude for the harvest. Once the sacrifices are completed, everyone shares She wine and She meat together.

Carrying the memory of agricultural civilization, the festival is both a thanksgiving rite to the earth that nourishes all things and a lively folk celebration in which farmers sing, dance, and share the joy of abundance.

The Autumn and Spring She Festivals were both ancient She Days dedicated to the God of the Land.

In ancient China, both the land deity and the place of worship were called *She*. According to folk custom, whenever sowing or harvesting came around, people established altars and conducted sacrifices.

The Spring She prayed for good harvests; the Autumn She thanked the gods for them.

The custom continued from the pre-Qin era into modern times and was one of the most important sacrificial festivals of agricultural society.

Between White Dew and the Autumn Equinox, Autumn She activities can still be observed in rural areas of southern China. Some traditional villages preserve the rites, which visitors may watch from designated safe areas while learning about this ancient agricultural festival.

White Dew is the season when fishermen around Lake Tai worship King Yu, the legendary flood-control hero Yu the Great. Fishermen along the lake call him the “Bodhisattva of the Waterways.”

According to legend, Yu controlled the floods from north to south, moving from the Yellow River toward the Jianghuai region, and finally subdued beneath Lake Tai a giant *ao* creature that had been stirring up wind and waves, thereby ending the flood disasters.

For this reason, Lake Tai fishermen came to regard Yu the Great as their guardian deity and hold solemn ceremonies in his honor every year.

The incense festival honoring King Yu is held four times annually: on the eighth day of the first lunar month, at Qingming, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, and at White Dew.

Of these, the spring and autumn sacrifices at Qingming and White Dew are the largest. The spring festival lasts six days, while the autumn festival lasts seven.

During the rites, sailing boats are decorated with lanterns and colored ornaments; people present offerings, sing fishermen’s songs, and pray for favorable weather and abundant catches.

A theatrical performance is staged every day. Each performance consists of four pieces — two civil plays and two martial plays — and one of them must be 《打渔杀家》. The play carries people’s hopes and longing for a better life.

The rites are presided over by a ritual specialist called the zhusi. He sings sacred songs and invites the gods. Those invited include not only King Yu, but also the City God, the God of the Land, the Flower Goddess, the Silkworm Maiden, the Household God, the Door Gods, Jiang Taigong, and others.

Once the gods have been invited, the *zhusi* offers wine to each in turn, singing:

“造酒尔来是杜康，消愁解闷为最高。劝君更尽一杯酒，与我同消万种愁。”

He then presents trays containing offerings such as rice, wheat, sugarcane, beans, sweets, jewelry, and tea. This is known as “presenting treasures,” and each item must be praised in song.

The *zhusi* sings the sacred verses while the assembled worshippers join in chorus, creating a lively atmosphere. Finally, everyone bows and kowtows before King Yu and the assembled deities, bringing the ritual to a close.

In areas of Shanxi along the Yellow River, people worship King Yu together with the God of the Land, the Flower Goddess, the Silkworm Maiden, the Door Gods, the Household God, Jiang Taigong, and others.

At White Dew, autumn waters rise and fish and crabs grow plump. Fishermen offer the first fat fish of the autumn catch to King Yu in gratitude for Yu the Great’s achievements in controlling the floods.

The custom has a long history. The *Yu Gong* records that Yu the Great dredged and regulated the Three Rivers so that “震泽底定” — Zhenze being the ancient name for Lake Tai.

Legend holds that it was at Lake Tai that Yu subdued the great *ao* creature that had been whipping up wind and waves, thereby bringing the waters under control.

Generations of Lake Tai fishermen, whose livelihoods depended on fishing, came to regard Yu as the “Bodhisattva of the Waterways.”

The tradition has continued from antiquity to the present and remains one of the most important folk-belief activities in the Lake Tai region.

At White Dew, when autumn waters are full and fish and crabs are fattening, worshipping King Yu expresses gratitude toward the legendary flood-control hero and also serves as a prayer for a good catch in the fishing season to come.

During White Dew, visitors can travel to the shores of Lake Tai in Jiangsu, including Suzhou and Wuxi, to observe the incense festival honoring King Yu.

The ceremonies last for a week and include temple fairs, drums and gongs, dance, and traditional opera performances. Visitors may watch the rites and productions such as *Dɑ Yú Shā Jiā* from designated safe areas.

Specific dates should be checked in advance with local cultural and tourism authorities.

White Dew tea refers to tea leaves harvested around the White Dew solar term.

A folk saying goes:

“春茶苦，夏茶涩，要喝茶，秋白露”

— spring tea is bitter, summer tea is astringent; if you want tea, drink White Dew tea in autumn.

After enduring the heat of summer, tea plants enter another favorable growing period around White Dew.

White Dew tea is neither as delicate and quick to lose flavor as spring tea nor as dry, harsh, and bitter as summer tea. Instead, it carries a slightly more mature roasted character that feels “just right.” A gentle sip fills the mouth with a mellow sweetness.

The *Classic of Tea* says:

“春芽含苦，夏叶凝涩，白露凝香”

After being tempered by the heat of the dog days, the newly sprouting leaves are said to be filled with the essence of Heaven and Earth, producing a particularly mellow and full flavor.

Another tea proverb says:

“白露不采茶，经冬香不发”

revealing the importance traditionally attached to seasonal timing.

In earlier times, tea makers in Wuyi waited until the morning mist of White Dew had just dispersed before opening the gardens to harvest a seasonal tea known as “Moon-Soul Tea.”

Brewed in a blue-and-white lidded bowl decorated with scrolling lotus patterns, the tea was said to shine with an amber glow and release an orchid fragrance; even after seven infusions, its rock character and floral aroma remained.

The cultivated people of Gusu continued the ancient Tang and Song methods of boiling tea, specifically drawing water from the Cold Fragrance Spring at Tiger Hill.

A cup of White Dew tea offers not only fragrance and flavor, but also the rhythm of the turning seasons.

The custom of drinking White Dew tea has a long history.

The ancients believed that after enduring summer’s intense heat, tea plants entered a second favorable growing phase around White Dew, giving the leaves picked at this time a distinctive quality.

By then, the spring tea stored at home was often nearly finished, and White Dew tea arrived at just the right moment to replace it.

Its taste is mellow and its fragrance distinctive, lacking both the green delicacy of spring tea and the bitterness and astringency of summer tea, making it especially popular among tea drinkers.

The custom closely joins the seasonal calendar with tea culture and reflects a Chinese aesthetic of knowing the season through tea.

In tea-growing areas such as Wuyi Mountain in Fujian, Hangzhou in Zhejiang, and Suzhou in Jiangsu, traditions of harvesting and drinking White Dew tea continue today.

During White Dew, visitors can travel to tea-growing regions to experience picking and processing tea or purchase newly harvested White Dew tea from a tea shop.

Brewing a pot offers a direct way to experience the seasonal meaning of the saying:

“春茶苦，夏茶涩，要喝茶，秋白露.”

Fuzhou in Fujian has a traditional custom known as “longan must be eaten at White Dew.”

Folk tradition holds that eating longan on this day has an extraordinary nourishing effect on the body.

Longan itself benefits qi and strengthens the spleen, nourishes the blood and calms the spirit, and moisturizes the skin and enhances the complexion. It can also treat anemia, insomnia, neurasthenia, and other conditions.

Before White Dew, longan fruits are especially large, with small pits and a sweet flavor, making this one of the best times of the year to eat them.

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that longan nourishes the blood and calms the spirit, replenishes qi and strengthens the spleen, and moisturizes the skin and beautifies the complexion, while also assisting in the treatment of anemia, insomnia, neurasthenia, and other conditions.

In Fuzhou, eating longan is accompanied by a strong sense of ritual.

In the past, on the morning of White Dew, many families rose early to peel longans, carefully arranging the translucent flesh in white porcelain bowls before pouring over freshly cooked hot rice porridge. The result was a simple yet comforting longan porridge.

In some places, longan is instead eaten with rice wine.

A local saying declares:

“白露吃龙眼，一颗顶只鸡”

— eat longan at White Dew; one fruit is worth a whole chicken.

Although exaggerated, the saying expresses the fruit’s nourishing reputation.

Another Fuzhou saying associates eating longan at White Dew with “autumn completeness.”

In ancient times there was also the saying “longan in the south, ginseng in the north,” showing the high status longan held among nourishing foods.

The custom has been practiced in the Fuzhou region for a long time.

Longan, commonly called guiyuan, is a specialty of southern China. The fruit ripens during the eighth lunar month, known as the “cassia month,” and because of its round form it also came to be called *guiyuan*.

White Dew coincides with the season when longan arrives on the market in abundance, with full flesh and its highest sweetness.

The custom closely combines seasonal timing, local produce, and traditional Chinese health practices, reflecting both the philosophy of eating according to the season and the idea that medicine and food share a common origin.

The custom is popular not only in Fuzhou but also in Guangdong, Guangxi, and other southern regions.

On White Dew, fresh longan can be purchased from fruit shops and eaten after peeling.

The traditional Fuzhou method is to peel longan in the morning and eat it with hot rice porridge as longan porridge.

Longan may also be paired with rice wine.

It is one of the easiest White Dew customs to experience.

White Dew rice wine is one of the most representative seasonal drinks of White Dew.

The areas of Xingning, Sandu, and Liaojiang in Zixing, Hunan, have long maintained a brewing tradition. Every year when White Dew arrives, families make wine, and guests are welcomed with locally brewed “country wine.”

The wine is made from glutinous rice, sorghum, and other grains. It is warming in nature, contains internal heat, and has a slightly sweet taste, and is known as White Dew rice wine.

Jiangsu and Zhejiang also preserve customs of brewing White Dew rice wine at home.

In earlier times, rural families in the Suzhou-Zhejiang region brewed wine every year when White Dew arrived and served it to guests. Some even carried White Dew rice wine into the cities to sell.

As late as the 1930s and 1940s, hotels in Nanjing still sold White Dew rice wine by measure.

In Zixing, Hunan, there is a saying:

“白露酿米酒，千年醉一回”

— brew rice wine at White Dew and be drunk once in a thousand years.

The finest form of White Dew rice wine is known as Cheng wine, named because it is brewed using water from the Cheng River. In ancient times it was a tribute wine and became widely renowned.

The brewing process is particular not only in its choice of water and seasonal timing, but also in method.

First, distilled grain liquor, commonly called “country-fired liquor,” and fermented glutinous rice mash are prepared separately. The distilled liquor is then poured into the fermented mash according to a set ratio and sealed in jars until ready to drink.

To make Cheng wine, an appropriate amount of sanzi water, made by boiling *sanzi* with water, must also be added. The jar is then sealed and either buried underground or placed in a cellar, where it may remain for several years or even several decades.

Cheng wine aged for decades turns reddish brown. When poured, it forms visible threads, goes down smoothly, releases a strong fragrance, and has considerable strength after drinking.

A folk saying goes:

“饮罢白露酒，夜凉不盖被。”

— after drinking White Dew wine, one need not cover oneself even on a cool night.

Rice wine is not only drunk directly but can also be used to make foods such as osmanthus rice-wine dumplings and eggs simmered in rice wine.

The custom of brewing rice wine at White Dew has a long history.

A proverb says:

“处暑高粱白露谷”

— sorghum at End of Heat, grain at White Dew.

By White Dew, grain has ripened, making it an ideal time for brewing.

Using newly harvested grains to make wine served both as a celebration of the harvest and as preparation of a warming drink for the cold winter ahead.

The custom reflects the practical wisdom of agricultural society in adapting life to the proper season.

During White Dew, rice wine can be sampled in Zixing, Hunan, and in parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

Local farming households often brew rice wine for guests, and visitors may learn about the process and taste the finished wine.

It can also be made at home using glutinous rice, sorghum, and other grains.

In Wenzhou and surrounding areas of Zhejiang, White Dew is associated with a custom known as “eating the Whites.”

In Cangnan, Pingyang, and other places, people gather “Ten Whites” on the day of White Dew — in some places there is also a “Three Whites” version — and stew them with black-boned, white-feathered chicken or duck.

Eating the dish is said to nourish the body and dispel wind qi, including arthritis.

The Ten Whites are ten medicinal herbs whose names contain the character “white,” such as white peony root, white bayberry blossom, white hibiscus, and white-haired bitter herb, thereby creating a verbal correspondence with the name White Dew itself.

A folk saying goes:

“白露十样白，老来腿不摆。”

People believe that eating Ten Whites stewed chicken nourishes and strengthens the body, benefits joint disorders, and also helps relieve autumn dryness.

The custom cleverly matches the name of the solar term with the ingredients chosen for the dish — White Dew paired with Ten Whites — expressing the folk cultural psychology of matching name and season.

The custom has long been practiced in the Wenzhou region.

As the weather cools around White Dew, rheumatic conditions are more likely to occur. People therefore stew chicken with medicinal herbs used to dispel wind and dampness in order to prevent and treat joint disorders.

The custom closely joins the seasonal calendar, local knowledge of medicinal plants, and health needs, reflecting the folk wisdom that medicine and food share a common origin.

During White Dew, visitors can travel to Cangnan, Pingyang, and other parts of Wenzhou to try black-boned, white-feathered chicken stewed with the Ten Whites.

Local restaurants often introduce seasonal dishes around White Dew.

Herbs whose names contain the character “white,” such as white peony root, atractylodes, and cogongrass root, can also be purchased at traditional medicine shops and used to prepare chicken stew at home.

Folk tradition holds that eating sweet potatoes at White Dew prevents stomach acid after meals, and farming households in earlier times therefore made sweet potatoes part of the seasonal observance.

Traditional Chinese medicine regards sweet potato as a valuable medicinal food and calls it a “longevity food.”

Li Shizhen’s *Compendium of Materia Medica* states:

“甘薯补虚，健脾开胃，强肾阴”

— sweet potato supplements deficiency, strengthens the spleen and appetite, and reinforces kidney yin.

White Dew is also the season when sweet potatoes are harvested. Soft, sweet, and fragrant, they are a nourishing food of the season.

The custom developed from folk understanding of the health benefits of sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and multiple vitamins and have the effects of strengthening the spleen and appetite, supplementing deficiency, and strengthening the kidneys, matching the White Dew health needs of preventing autumn dryness and nourishing the body.

The custom reflects the philosophy of eating according to the season.

On White Dew, fresh sweet potatoes can be purchased from markets and steamed, boiled, or roasted.

It is one of the easiest White Dew customs to experience.

Cricket fighting is a popular folk entertainment in Jiangsu and Zhejiang during White Dew.

A local children’s rhyme says:

“白露蟋蟀夜开口，秋兴斗场九十九”

White Dew is the “golden period” for crickets: they grow quickly and become strong, making it an ideal season for fighting them.

People use blades of grass to provoke the insects, wager tea on the outcome, and enjoy a refined form of everyday urban amusement.

Adults first take children out to the fields to catch crickets and then gather in the shade beneath trees to stage the contests.

The custom has a long history and, according to written records, began in the Tang dynasty.

Crickets have many traditional names, including “促织,” “蛬,” “吟蛩,” and “趣织.” By nature, they are both vocal and combative.

Crickets are especially abundant at White Dew, and people traditionally amused themselves by making them fight, creating a distinctive feature of autumn street and village life.

The custom closely connects seasonal timing with folk entertainment and reflects the pleasures people found in life after the work of the autumn harvest.

During White Dew, crickets can be caught in rural fields and traditional matches played with friends.

Some folk-culture villages organize cricket-fighting demonstrations and hands-on activities around the solar term.

In some regions, White Dew is marked by a traditional autumn sacrifice.

In ancient times, ritual activities around White Dew generally lasted for a week and included theatrical performances. Among the frequently staged plays were 《打樱桃》 and 《打渔杀家》.

*Dɑ Yīngtáo* is a traditional Peking opera telling a love story between a talented scholar and a beautiful woman.

During the sacrificial period, *Dɑ Yú Shā Jiā* was a required performance, carrying people’s hopes and longing for a better life.

The White Dew autumn sacrifice belongs to the same tradition as the ancient “autumn tasting” rites.

At White Dew, crops gradually ripen, and people use sacrificial ceremonies to report the harvest to ancestors and divine powers and to express gratitude.

The custom reflects the Chinese cultural tradition of revering Heaven and following the ancestors.

During White Dew, visitors can look for information on local sacrificial activities.

Some traditional villages still preserve autumn sacrifice customs, and visitors may observe ceremonies and traditional theatrical performances from designated safe areas.