Lidong welcomes winter with harvest rituals, warming feasts

Fortunately, there are still delicious dishes to compensate. The traditional menu for Lidong is mouthwatering.

The most popular dish is dumplings, especially in the north. In Chinese, the word for dumplings is a homophone of the “meeting” of two seasons, and thus comes the tradition of eating dumplings on the day. A plate of hot dumplings with vinegar and garlic is irresistible.

Hotpot of mutton is also a widely-loved dish. Eating it at the start of winter is a tradition spread from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Traditional Chinese medicine holds that mutton’s nature is warm, which makes it a perfect food for the winter.

The bronze hotpot, a favorite dish of the royals in the Forbidden City some hundred years ago, remains popular among the public in today’s Beijing. It is not difficult to find a restaurant specializing in hotpot and have a big dinner with some friends.

In the south, tradition dictates that people also enjoy a bottle of yellow rice wine. After being warmed up in hot water, it can also help to keep warm.

If time permits, it is not a bad idea to admire the remaining chrysanthemum, which is dubbed the most cold-resistant flower and often used to represent people’s reluctance for autumn to end. But before long, it will have to give way to the plum blossom.

Editor：梁子硕