A Suzhou way to greet Start of Summer

May 5 marks Start of Summer, the seventh solar term of the year. How do Suzhou residents celebrate the day?

Participate in egg competitions

Eggs are a common way to celebrate the occasion among Suzhou residents . Aside from eating salted duck eggs, children customarily put an egg into a knitted bag and hang it on their neck as they participate in egg competitions with others.

Eating black glutinous rice

Eating black glutinous rice is a popular tradition on the first day of Start of Summer. The rice is usually soft and fragrant.

Tasting the three delicacies

Sanxian, or the three delicacies, is divided into three categories: disanxian (地三鲜, broad bean, amaranth and cucumber), shusanxian (树三鲜, cherry, loquat and apricot) and shuisanxian (水三鲜, yellow croaker, shrimp and hilsa herring).