二十四节气中的中华文化之夏至（英文版）Summer Solstice Summer solstice brings the longest day of the year to the northern hemisphere. The sun is radiating heat with its full force. Temperature in most parts of the north rises significantly, and high summer is with us.Summer is a great time for kids. In Summer Solstice, an oil painting by Liu Renjie, a Chinese painter, we see a boy, head raised, is lost in thought. Behind him, an old lady is busy with her work, and a sleeping dog under the eaves is enjoying the peace of the summer. In the picture, vegetable leaves, flowers, butterflies, and the boy’s face are all basked in the sun.Unlike the strong sunlight in the north, summer solstice in most parts of the south presents a different scene. While the north is under bright sunlight, the south is a scene of elegant green. Although different in scenes, both the north and the south have their distinct appeals. An oil painting entitled Rain in Summer Solstice by Chinese painter Qu Xiangjian, vividly depicts a misty and rainy day in a village in west Hunan Province. Green grass near the pool is sprouting. Water in the pond and trees are shrouded by clouds and mist, which also make distant hills and sky indistinguishable. The underlying color of the painting is light green, depicting a humid summer day in the south.Summer solstice is a good time to watch blooming lotus. Lotus is known as the fairy of the water palace in China. In the Song Dynasty, lasting from 960 to 1279, renowned writer Zhou Dunyi loved growing lotus in his water garden. “How amazing that lotus flower, with its roots in the mud, grows pure and beautiful!” This famous line in his essay Ode to Lotus is still widely cited today. Watching both the lovely lotus and green pond is a refreshing experience. The nightly summer scene of the lotus pond is equally fascinating. In an elaborate Chinese style painting, painter Chen Mengxin depicts a lovely scene of lotus pond on a summer night. In the picture, you can see a young lady in pink with white lotus under a bright moon in the blue and purple nightly sky. With distinct strokes of colors, the painter conveys a touch of coolness after sunset, evoking poetic thoughts at a tranquil summer night.During summer solstice, there are not only bright sunlight and hailstorms, but also scenes with a gentle touch. This solar term, describing a natural extension of heat and warmth in life, gives full rein to our imagination.
