White Dew is the 15th of the 24 solar terms and the 3rd solar term of autumn. After sunset, temperatures decrease rapidly. At night, water vapor in the air turns into small water-drops that settle on flowers, grass and trees. When morning comes, sunshine makes them look crystal clear. That's how this solar term got its name. White Dew indicates the real beginning of cool autumn. And this year's White Dew falls on September 8.

There is typically autumn weather during White Dew period, when wild geese begin to migrate to the south and birds start to stock food for the long wintertime. Hot summer is gone.

This is also the season that people may be exposed to various diseases like nasal disease, asthma, and bronchitis. Too much seafood or cold, spicy, greasy food may not be good for health, but food containing more vitamins is good for your diet since the weather is getting drier after White Dew.

There are many customs during the White Dew, such as eating grapes, eating longan, drinking White Dew tea, eating sweet potatoes and so on.

Eating Grapes
White Dew season comes right when grapes become widely available for sale. Eating grapes in autumn can help dispel one's internal heat and expel toxins.

Eating Longan
Longan fruit around White Dew is big, sweet and tastes great. There is a tradition in Fuzhou, East China’s Fujian province, that eating longan on the first day of White Dew can help nourish the human body.

Drinking White Dew Tea
Many regular tea drinkers in Nanjing favor White Dew Tea. Tea during White Dew has gone through the hot summer and is in its best state of growth. White Dew Tea is different from spring tea, which is usually too tender and doesn't last long. It is also different from summer tea, which is dry and has a bitter flavor. White Dew Tea instead tastes sweet with a sweet fragrance.

Eating Sweet Potatoes
Many Chinese believe that the best food during White Dew is sweet potatoes. In the old days, peasants had the custom of eating sweet potato on the first day of White Dew. Besides being the No.1 vegetable against cancer, according to Chinese medicine, sweet potato can nourish the spleen. It can prolong life and reduce the risks of disease.

(By Yang Jiming/Qi Qian)