Hi everyone, I’m Ally
I have been living in New York City for 10 years now
If you have been here before and took the subway during Summer time
you will understand what it feels like to go from the equator to the north pole within a second
Not to mention how cold it can get in the office with the central AC system blasting on you
However no matter how much I complain about AC, it’s hard to imagine life without it
But have you ever wondered how ancient people survived summers with no electricity for nearly five thousand years?
No refrigerator, no electric fans, and no air conditioners!
Well, it’s not as bad as you think. Let’s look at 9 Hacks the Ancient Chinese Had for Summer
Chinese people always say to follow the course of nature
Just like how birds migrate from season to season, ancient people also used natural surroundings to keep cool
Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty ordered to build a mountain resort in Chengde specifically for the royal family to escape the heat in summer
But that’s pretty luxurious. Common folks, like me and you, would just visit local lakes or mountains to cool off
People built stone beds in their summer resorts
It’s also common for people to use porcelain pillows, jade pillows, ivory mats, and bamboo mats to keep cool
Even today, bamboo mats are still widely used in China
When I was little, my whole family would sleep on bamboo mats during the summer time and we never needed to turn on the AC at night
And I am still using this pillow when it gets really hot. It’s filled with tea leaves so it smells really good too
Ancient Chinese architects have done intricate calculations on how to cool down the house with architecture
Since the sun rises from the east and sets in the west, it’s always important for Chinese people to position the house facing south
to prevent the summer sun from directly shining into the house
Another example is, in the Forbidden City, the length and angle of the eaves was carefully calculated
to allow sun to reach inside the room during winter, but stay out during mid-day summer time
When it comes to engineering, a really innovative design was a system
that transported water to the ceiling and let it drip down, forming water curtains around the building
Another innovative design worked like a water wheel, using water energy to push a wheel of fans
making an automatic fan machine
If you have a basement in your house, you know that it's always cooler down there during the summer time
That is because below-ground temperature stays relatively stable compared to the outside temperature
Chinese people realized this and they have been using underground shelters to keep cool even before the Qin Dynasty
which was more than 2,200 years ago
Some families had a deep well in the middle of the room, which could act as an AC to adjust the room’s temperature
And they also took advantage of the cool well to store food, as well as ice
Speaking of ice, people couldn’t make ice but they could preserve ice from the winter time
According to records, people have been using ice since the Zhou Dynasty, around 1,000 BC
And it became very common in the later dynasties for emperors and commoners alike
to gather ice from rivers during winter, and use them for summer
By Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty, It is recorded that there were 18 large ice cellars around the Forbidden City
just for the imperial family
And according to artifacts, the ancient chinese even used these mini portable refrigerators to store ice and chill food inside
They could also act like an AC to cool down a room
And of course, people can make all sorts of drinks and desserts with ice, such as the iced sour prune drink, and even ice cream
However it's more common for people to eat cooling foods to cool down naturally
According to Chinese medicine, each food item has its own property, either cold, cool, neutral, warm, or hot
Watermelon, bitter melon, cucumber, and mung beans are example of food that helps with cooling
Li Shizhen, one of the most famous Chinese medical scholars wrote in his book
“place an ice cube on the patient’s tanzhong acupuncture point to cure heat stroke”
Tanzhong point is right in the middle of the chest area
There are many medicinal herbs that contain cooling properties and can help with heat stroke
Imperial doctors would usually make them into pills before the Dragon Boat Festival
and incorporate them into the royal family’s daily diet
The herbs could also be made into accessories to carry around, such as bracelets, fan ornaments, or sachets
I know it may sound counterintuitive, but it is common for Chinese people, even today, to drink hot tea and take hot baths during summer
It helps to open up the pores and release heat from inside the body
not to mention, tea also contains cooling properties
So again, it’s about following the course of nature. When it’s hot, let your body sweat and do its thing
In the western world, this is called fighting fire with fire.
Chinese people say 心靜自然涼, which means “a calm heart and mind keeps you cool" and it's absolutely true
Emperor Kangxi said that he doesn’t need to use the fan, take off his hat, or even open the windows during the hot summer
because he has a calm mind and heart and therefore he doesn’t feel hot
Chinese poet Bai Juyi wrote a poem saying
"Everyone runs like crazy trying to escape the heat, but only the buddhist monk stays inside the room
it's not that the meditation room is not hot, but when you have a calm mind the body is naturally cool"
Some people have questioned how does one cool down automatically by just keeping calm?
Believe it or not, the human mind and body have a great impact on one another
Chinese medicine says one will cause internal inflammation when one gets angry - 大動肝火 or "burst into fury with a burning liver"
Modern science has proved that the human body temperature changes with different moods
All the negative feelings, such as anger, disgust, anxiety, pride, and shame
will cause an unwanted and unpleasant heat on different parts of the body
Neutral, as you can see, is the best state
So when you are not mentally bothered by the heat or troubles in your life, you will feel physically cool too
If you find this video helpful, please like and share. Let me know if I missed anything in the comments below
I’ll be making more videos on traditional Chinese culture, beauty, and fashion. See you next time!