Hot and cold about summer

This summer photograph by Jin Baikai captures a dark, mossy green tone, evoking a sense of oppression. JIN BAIKAI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Now living and working in Shanghai, Zhang finds the summer in southern China more stifling but also more vibrant and brighter. "Shanghai's summer has a straightforward personality. Rain comes suddenly, and the sun shines intensely," she explained.

This intense and clear rhythm might be why summer stirs such strong feelings among different groups of people. "Autumn and spring are more ambiguous and can even feel like winter at times. But summer is distinctly hot, presenting itself as a very clear season, so whether it is love or hate, people have strong emotions about it," Zhang added.

Dong Yi from Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, believes that everything grows in accordance with the time of year, and the changing seasons are gifts from time itself.

"Spring brings sprouts, summer fosters growth, autumn yields harvests, and winter stores. Summer is a season of flourishing. I love summer," she said.

Summer also brings with it unique seasonal ingredients. Dong, who has a passion for traditional Chinese culture, enjoys using local ingredients to prepare dishes suitable for each season.

"For example, bayberries are great for quenching thirst, watermelons keep you hydrated, lotus roots help reduce dampness, and bitter melons are effective in clearing heat," she explained.

Before cooking, Dong usually consults the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu), a 16th-century Chinese medical encyclopedia written by Li Shizhen (1518-93), to ensure the ingredients are appropriate for summer consumption.

She prefers light cooking methods like boiling, steaming, or preparing cold dishes, avoiding deep-frying or grilling.

As a graphic designer, Dong also pays great attention to the color and presentation of her food, aiming to create a "refreshing" feel. She often uses a rich green palette in her summer dishes. For example, she would pair green plums with perilla juice to craft a signature summer drink.

Delicious food is Dong's "summer cooling strategy", as she describes it.

Yumin's aversion to summer is so intense that she effortlessly outlines the "seven deadly sins" of the season on her podcast.

First on her list is the plum rain season. Every year from mid-June to early or mid-July, the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China experience continuous rainy weather. This period coincides with the ripening of plums in the region, hence the name "plum rain".

"When I was in school, the light drizzle or torrential downpours of summer were just a scenic backdrop that I could enjoy from my window. However, since I started working and commuting, the frequent summer rains have become a nightmare," she said.

Wet socks and shoes clinging to her skin make her uncomfortable, and sometimes she even has to skip lunch because the relentless rain makes it difficult to go out.