Summer is here! May 5th hails Lixia, 7th solar term on Chinese lunar calendar, signifying end of spring and beginning of summer. From today on, people will greet summer heat and increase in thunderstorms, and plants will also welcome luxuriant growth. (Images: People's Daily Online) Many regions in China have the tradition of eating three types of fresh food-cherry, green plum, and green wheat-on the day. But China’s vast land is rich in natural resources, bamboo shoots, edible amaranth, eggs and butterfish are also among the choices.

Children will have egg competition by knocking each other’s boiled eggs in pairs, and the one whose egg is not broken wins. The folk activity is a popular celebration of the solar term.

Another custom on Lixia is to measure the weight as a way to receive blessings. People take turns to weigh themselves, and the one who adjusts the balance of weigh beam will speak auspicious words, to wish healthy growth for children and longevity for the elderly.

Vegetation is in luxuriant growth during this period, covering the land with lush green. Frogs seek for food on the pond side, and their chirps compose a summer music.