Minor Heat

「倏忽温风至，因循小暑来。」

Solar Term Begins: 2027-07-06 – 2027-07-08

Minor Heat marks the beginning of the truly hot season: the heat has not yet reached its extreme, but summer warmth is already in full force. The dog days are close at hand, bringing humid and oppressive weather, yet it is precisely under these…

Temperature Trends

Steaming summer heat

Temperatures continue to rise across most of China. Average temperatures in North China and the Huang–Huai region climb to around 28–33°C, while Jiangnan and South China generally reach 30–35°C or higher. Many regions begin to experience hot, humid “sauna-like weather,” making the heat feel especially stifling and difficult to bear.

Precipitation Patterns

Main flood season begins

The Plum Rain season approaches its end in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze, though rainfall remains present. North and Northeast China enter their main flood season, with increasingly frequent severe convective weather, while typhoon activity along the coast of South China becomes more active.

一

Warm Winds Arrive

During Minor Heat, almost no cool breeze remains over the land; every wind that passes carries warmth, while summer heat seems to rise visibly from the ground. This is regarded as a sign that high summer has truly arrived.

二

Crickets shelter in dwellings

Unable to endure the intense heat of the open fields, crickets leave the countryside and seek shelter in cooler places beneath courtyard eaves, where their calls can be heard. The observation reflects the close attention ancient people paid to the heat-avoiding behavior of insects.

三

Eagles begin to hunt fiercely

Young eagles are believed to sense the first emergence of the austere qi associated with the coming seasonal turn and begin practicing combat and hunting skills in preparation for independent survival in autumn. It is an important stage in the life cycle of these birds of prey.

Temperature Trends

Freezing cold

Deep winter continues, and temperatures remain persistently low. High-latitude regions endure piercing cold, while mid-latitude areas are also firmly under winter’s grip, making this one of the coldest periods of the year. Although the point of direct solar radiation has already begun its northward return, the accumulation of heat takes time, and the ground continues to lose warmth; as a result, the cold felt by the body often reaches its annual peak, creating the most difficult stretch of the Southern Hemisphere’s winter cold.

Precipitation Patterns

Relentless wind and snow

Snowfall continues, with blizzards and freezing conditions occurring in some regions and severe cold exerting a significant impact on transportation and everyday life. Although the amount of fresh snowfall may be somewhat lower than around the Winter Solstice itself, snow depth can continue to increase, while the cumulative effect of prolonged cold makes melting extremely slow; the land therefore remains buried beneath thick snow, and winter retains its full dominance.

一

Wild Geese Fly North

Wild geese sense the first stirring of yang qi and begin preparing to migrate northward, toward lower latitudes. Their movement is regarded as one of the earliest phenological signs of spring perceived amid the stillness of winter.

二

Magpies Begin to Nest

Magpies sense the awakening of yang qi and begin building nests in preparation for breeding in the coming spring, offering a sign that new life is already being nurtured within the depths of winter.

三

Pheasants call

Pheasants are believed to sense the first rebirth of yang qi amid the winter cold and begin calling in search of mates, signaling that nature’s most silent season is approaching its end.

Temperature Trends

Extreme Heat · Heavy Humidity

In tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere—such as Southeast Asia, India, and northern Africa—the wet season remains at its height, though some areas begin to experience intervals between periods of rain, gradually revealing early signs that the rainy season is moving toward its close. In tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere—such as central Africa and northern South America—the transition between dry and wet seasons enters a critical window, with scattered showers beginning to appear in parts of central Africa and quietly foreshadowing the end of the dry season. Across the tropical world, the annual reversal between wet and dry conditions is approaching a decisive threshold.

Precipitation Patterns

Rainy season winding down

Tropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere—including Southeast Asia, India, and northern Africa—continue to receive abundant rainfall, though precipitation begins to weaken somewhat, while typhoon activity remains active. In tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere—including central Africa and northern South America—the dry season approaches its end and scattered showers begin to appear.

一

Strong winds, gathering clouds

The global Intertropical Convergence Zone enters its most active phase of the year, while typhoons and hurricanes occur frequently and tropical atmospheric circulation in both hemispheres undergoes vigorous adjustment.

二

Dense vegetation

Tropical rainforests and monsoon forests of the Northern Hemisphere reach their annual growth peak under abundant heat and moisture, with extremely dense canopy cover and biomass at its highest level of the year.

三

First light of the dry season

Some tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere begin to show signs of returning rainfall; the dry season is nearing its departure, vegetation is poised to awaken, and the tropical world stands on the eve of its major annual reversal.

Solar-Term Farming

Farm with the Seasons · Work with Nature

Hover to Explore Farming Regions

Middle and Lower Yangtze

Northeast China

Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Eastern Inner Mongolia

Maize Rice Soybean

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Spring maize enters the large-bell stage, rice moves into jointing an…

Farming Advice

Complete autumn tillage pro…
Service farm machinery and …

Northwest China

Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang

Wheat Maize Cotton

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

The winter wheat harvest is fully completed, spring wheat enters grai…

Farming Advice

Roll winter wheat fields to…
Apply winter irrigation in …

North China

Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong, Henan

Wheat Maize Peanut

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Summer maize progresses from the seedling to the jointing stage, whil…

Farming Advice

Control excessive winter-wh…
Clear drainage ditches in r…

Middle and Lower Yangtze

Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan

Rice Rapeseed Tea

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Early rice enters grain filling and maturity, single-season mid-seaso…

Farming Advice

Plough promptly after the l…
Clear drainage ditches in r…

Southwest China

Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet

Rice Maize Tea Flue-Cured Tobacco

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Mid-season rice enters jointing and booting, flue-cured tobacco reach…

Farming Advice

Check winter-wheat emergenc…
Top-dress rapeseed seedling…

South China & Taiwan (China)

Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Fujian, Taiwan (China)

Rice Sugarcane Tropical Fruit

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

The early-rice harvest begins on a broad scale while sowing and seedl…

Farming Advice

Harvest late rice during cl…
Fertilise and earth up suga…

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Seasonal Delicacies

Eat with the Seasons · Nothing Out of Season

Seasonal Delicacies

Minor Heat · Flavors of the Season

Seasonal Tastes · A Guide to Eating with the Seasons

Fuyang — Mutton Eaten During the Dog Days

Lotus Root

Rice Field Eel

Tasting the New Harvest — New Rice

Dumplings at the Beginning of the Dog Days

Mung Bean Sprouts

Explore Seasonal Foods →

Traditional Customs

When Rites Fade, Seek Them Among the People · Old Ways Still Endure

Traditional Customs

Minor Heat · Everyday Traditions

Seasonal Rites · Everyday Traditions

Food and sacrifi

Tasting the New Harvest

TastingthenewharvestisanimportantLes…

Household custom

Sun-Drying During the Hottest Days

AroundLesserHeatcomesthesixthdayofth…

Food custom

Eating Summer Lamb

Thesaying“小暑吃暑羊”reflectsoneofthemost…

Food custom

Eating Lotus Root

EatinglotusrootatLesserHeatisalong-s…

View All Customs →

Solar-Term Poetry

Poetry · The Heart of Heaven and Earth

「小暑」

[Yuan Dynasty] · Yuan Huai

小暑金将伏，微凉麦正秋。

远山依枕见，暮雨闭门愁。

药裹窗前动，茶烟竹下流。

故人频问讯，犹自道归休。

Modern Translation

At Minor Heat, the metal energy begins to withdraw and hide; a faint coolness appears, while the wheat is just reaching harvest. From beside my pillow I can glimpse the distant mountains, while evening rain brings a quiet melancholy behind closed doors. Medicine packets stir softly before the window, and smoke from boiling tea drifts beneath the bamboo. Old friends frequently send word to ask after me, yet I still say that I ought to withdraw and rest in seclusion.

In-Depth Commentary

Yuan Huai writes of a literatus’s life during Minor Heat in a leisurely and restrained tone. In “小暑金将伏”, “金” refers to the metal energy associated with autumn. Though Minor Heat belongs to summer, yin has begun to arise, and the poet keenly captures the seasonal quality of “伏”, hidden or latent. “微凉麦正秋” describes wheat ripening at this time; although it is summer, the grain has entered its own autumn-like season of harvest. “远山依枕见” shows how the distant mountains can be seen even from the couch, suggesting great leisure; “暮雨闭门愁” uses evening rain and a closed door to convey the humidity and subdued melancholy of the lingering plum-rain season. The final two couplets turn to illness and secluded life. “药裹” and “茶烟” are details of a literatus’s daily routine, while “故人频问讯” brings in the warmth of friendship. The poem balances summer heat with slight coolness, ease with melancholy, and its language is light and sparse while its resonance lingers.

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Minor Heat

Solar-Term Farming

Northeast China

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Farming Advice

Northwest China

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Farming Advice

North China

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Farming Advice

Middle and Lower Yangtze

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Farming Advice

Southwest China

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Farming Advice

South China & Taiwan (China)

Farming Focus for This Solar Term

Farming Advice

Seasonal Delicacies

Seasonal Tastes · A Guide to Eating with the Seasons

Traditional Customs

Seasonal Rites · Everyday Traditions

Solar-Term Poetry

「小暑」

Modern Translation

In-Depth Commentary

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