The traditional Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. End of Heat, (Chinese: 处暑), the 14th solar term of the year, begins this year on Aug 22 and ends on Sept 7.End of Heat implies that most parts in China are getting rid of the hot summer and entering autumn. But in some areas, especially in South China, autumn is late in coming and people are still bothered by hot weather. End of Heat is also the busy harvest season for farmers.

According to the pronunciation rules of the Chinese language, Chushu sounds like “chú shǔ” (“除暑” or “出暑”), which means “dispelling or getting out of summer heat”, namely the “end of heat”.

Zhang Nie, a poet in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), once wrote, “When summer heat still lingers in bustling cities, inhabitants in mountainous areas already prepare thick clothes.” With the arrival of the End of Heat, the temperature differences between daytime and night grow, and people begin to prepare thicker clothes. A folk ballad goes, “Eight multiplied by nine is equal to 72, and it’s time to cover yourself with a cotton quilt at midnight; Nine multiplied by nine is equal to 81, and it’s time to open your closet to take cotton-padded clothes.” This ballad reminds people to put on thicker clothes to keep warm.