The land of China ushers in summer with the calls of frogs and chirping of cicadas.

中国大地在蛙声和蝉鸣声中迎来了夏季。

There are six solar terms in summer: Start of Summer, Grain Buds, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat and Major Heat.

夏季共包含立夏、小满、芒种、夏至、小暑、大暑。

With the passing of each solar term, the hot period is coming, the crops grow vigorously, and it enters a busy season for farming.

随着节气的推进，炎热降临，农作物旺盛生长，农事进入繁忙的季节。

Entering the Start of Summer temperatures rise significantly.

进入“立夏”气温明显升高。

When it’s Grain Buds, the grains of summer crops grow full.

小满时夏熟作物的籽粒逐渐灌浆饱满。

During Grain in Ear, people harvest summer crops and sow autumn crops, making it the busiest time of the year.

芒种期间，夏熟作物要收获，夏播秋收作物要下地，是一年中最忙的时节。

The longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere is the Summer Solstice.

北半球一年中日照时间最长的一天是夏至。

The position of direct sunlight on the earth reaches the northernmost end of the year, almost directly on the Tropic of Cancer.

太阳直射地面的位置到达一年的最北端，几乎直射北回归线。

Minor Heat means that the sizzling summer heat officially begins.

小暑意味着盛夏酷热正式开始。

It’s not the hottest times though. The hottest is what follows, Major Heat.

小暑虽不是一年中最炎热的时节，但紧接着就是一年中最热的大暑。

There is a Chinese saying that goes” Minor Heat, Major Heat, drenched in sweat.”

民间有“小暑大暑，上蒸下煮”之说。

Chengde Mountain Resort in North China’s Hebei province was where Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperors took breaks and handled government affairs in summer. As one of the four famous gardens in China, it took 89 years to complete.

位于河北省的承德避暑山庄是清代皇帝夏天避暑和处理政务的场所，是中国四大名园之一，耗时89年建成。

Empress Dowager Cixi, an important figure in the late Qing Dynasty, also set up a palace there.

慈禧太后，清朝晚期的重要人物，在这里还设置了寝宫。

It’s said that watermelon is one of the most favored fruits of Cixi.

传闻中，慈禧太后最钟爱的水果之一便是西瓜。

Every summer, she ate a lot of sweet watermelons.

每到夏季，都要享用清甜的西瓜解暑。

Chinese people’s love for watermelon has actually lasted for thousands of years.

中国人对于西瓜的喜爱已经持续了上千年。

Watermelon is a must have summer fruit for Chinese people.

西瓜是中国人必备的消夏良品。

Since China’s reform and opening-up, the country’s watermelon industry has made great progress and China has become the world’s largest watermelon producer and consumer.

改革开放以来，我国西瓜产业得到了长足的发展，成为世界上最大的西瓜生产国和消费国。

China has various regions suitable for growing watermelons throughout the country.

中国从南到北皆有适合种植西瓜的区域。

The tastes and sweetness of watermelon differ from place to place due to different soil environments and climates.

产地的土壤及气候环境的不同赋予了西瓜不同的口感与甜度。

According to statistics, there are nearly 2000 registered watermelon varieties in China, and the annual planting area reaches about 2.3 million hectares, ranking first in the world.

根据数据统计，目前中国已登记的西瓜品种接近2000个，年播种面积约保持在3500万亩，持续位居世界第一。

The joy of consuming icy cold watermelon only belongs to summer. Once entering autumn, it is easy to get sick from eating the fruit. As the weather turns cooler, the busy autumn harvest nears.

冰镇西瓜的快乐只属于夏天。一旦进入立秋，再吃西瓜就有伤身的说法了。随着天气转凉，秋收的忙碌也即将开始。

作者：读书有三到我先到 https://www.bilibili.com/read/cv21042971/?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0 出处：bilibili