The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug 8 and ends on Aug 22.
立秋标志着夏天即将结束，秋天即将到来。秋天是果实丰硕的季节。
Start of Autumn reflects the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The fruitful season is approaching.
来看看关于立秋的9个小常识。
The following are 9 things you should know about Start of Autumn.A baby tiger. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]'Autumn Tiger' 秋老虎
Although Start of Autumn indicates the beginning of autumn, hot weather will not come to an end. The period of hot days after Start of Autumn, usually lasting for 30 days, is called "Autumn Tiger" or "Indian Summer." Because of decreasing precipitation, it is even more sweltering during this period than during Major Heat.Need to flesh out in autumn. [File photo]Fleshing out in autumn 贴秋膘
On the first day of the Start of Autumn, usually people will weigh themselves and compare their weight to what it was at the Start of Summer. If one has lost weight during the summer, then at the beginning of autumn, he or she needs to flesh out by eating many different kinds of delicious food, especially meat.Gather crops. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]Gathering crops 收庄稼
立秋对于农民而言是收庄稼的重要节气。俗话说：“立秋有雨样样收。”
Start of Autumn is a big solar term for farmers. It is time to gather crops. There is a saying: "If it rains on the day of the Start of Autumn, a good harvest is expected."A ripe peach. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]Eating peaches 吃桃子
In Hangzhou, people eat peaches on the Start of Autumn day. The peach stones are kept until New Year's Eve and thrown into the stove, burned into ash. People believed that in this way, plagues could be prevented for the whole year.Longans. [File photo]Eating longans 吃龙眼
立秋是台湾省龙眼收获的季节。人们相信吃了龙眼肉，后代就会成为大官。
The Start of Autumn period is harvest time for Taiwan longan. People believe that eating longan will help their descendants become senior officials.Colorful dumplings. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]Eating dumplings 吃饺子
In Shandong province, people make dumplings during the Start of Autumn, and they call it "Eating the Autumn". On the day of Start of Autumn, senior members of the family will stand in the middle of the hall, worshiping a bowl of cereal, and praying for the harvest in autumn. Most of the families will eat dumplings together after Start of Autumn day.A red bean from popular Chinese animation series Beanie's Daily. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]Eating red beans 吃红豆
Starting from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, have eaten red beans on Start of Autumn day. They take seven to 14 little beans, swallowing them with well water. When taking the beans, one must face west, it is said, so as not to get dysentery during the autumn.[File photo]Eating gourds 吃瓜
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), people would put gourds outside for a day before the Start of Autumn, and eat them on Start of Autumn day to drive off the summer heat. Today people in Tianjin still keep this custom, believing that eating melons such as towel gourd, white gourd and bitter gourd can prevent diarrhea in autumn and the coming winter and spring.A woman happily picks pears at a garden. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]'Touching Autumn' “摸秋”
There is the custom of "Touching Autumn" in the northern part of Yancheng, Jiangsu province. On the eve of Start of Autumn, people can touch and take for free all kinds of fruits as they like in private or public gardens, and the owners will not be angry, no matter how much they lose. Many gardeners even leave some mellow fruits in the field on purpose for the guests during the night.来源：中国日报网英语点津 （编辑：丹妮）