Seasonal Wellness
10 Traditional Foods for Lixia (Start of Summer): From Five-Color Rice to Shrimp Noodles
At the Start of Summer (Lixia), Chinese folk traditions feature a variety of special foods. This article lists 10 must-eat traditional dishes: Lixia eggs (with egg-tapping games), five-color rice (symbolizing grain harvest), three kinds of “three fresh” ingredients (ground, tree, and water), black rice (fragrant from plant leaves), Lixia soup, seven-family porridge (neighborly sharing), bamboo shoots (shaped like leg bones), Junta vegetable, wheat silkworm snacks, and shrimp noodles (homophone for “summer”). Each dish carries wishes for health and cultural heritage.
10 Traditional Foods You Must Eat During Lixia (Start of Summer)
◇ List of Traditional Foods for Lixia
1. Lixia Eggs
Boiled chicken eggs and duck eggs are a standard food for Lixia. Folk belief holds that eating eggs strengthens the body and helps withstand the summer heat. Children also play an “egg-tapping” game, knocking the tips of two eggs together to see which is harder.
2. Five-Color Rice
White rice is cooked together with red beans, soybeans, black beans, mung beans, and green beans, symbolizing a bountiful harvest of five grains. In the Jiangnan region, seasonal broad beans, fresh bamboo shoots, and salted meat are added, creating richer layers of flavor.
3. Three Fresh Delicacies by Season
- Ground Three Fresh: Broad beans, amaranth, and cucumber (or garlic sprouts) – emphasizing tender, seasonal freshness.
- Tree Three Fresh: Cherries, loquats, and apricots – a sweet-and-sour symphony.
- Water Three Fresh: Hilsa herring, pufferfish, and river snails – showcasing the freshness of Jiangnan aquatic produce.
4. Black Rice (Wumifan)
Glutinous rice is soaked in the juice of oriental blueberry leaves (Vaccinium bracteatum), then steamed. The dark purple-black rice exudes a delicate herbal aroma. It is also said to repel mosquitoes and insects.
5. Lixia Soup (Lixia Geng)
Glutinous rice flour is mixed with cudweed (Gnaphalium affine) to make soft dumplings – chewy and fragrant. In some regions, diced tofu curd, bamboo shoot cubes, and other ingredients are added for a more complex taste.
6. Seven-Family Porridge (Qijia Zhou)
Neighbors contribute various grains and cook them together into a porridge, embodying the mutual aid spirit of the farming era. In one bowl of porridge is boiled the warmth of human connection.
7. Leg-Bone Bamboo Shoots (Jiaogu Sun)
People in Ningbo tenderize young bamboo shoots by pounding them flat and cutting them into sections that resemble leg bones. Eating them expresses a strong wish for a healthy body.
8. Junta Vegetable
A vegetable unique to Ningbo. Local tradition says eating it can prevent heat rash and prickly heat during summer.
9. Wheat Silkworm (Maican)
In Shanghai, wheat flour and sugar are kneaded into strip‑shaped snacks – sweet and aromatic. This traditional snack is believed to prevent summer lethargy (zhuxia).
10. Shrimp Noodles (Xia Mian)
In southern Fujian (Minnan), people cook fresh shrimp with noodles. The word for “shrimp” (xiā) is a homophone for “summer” (xià), symbolizing the wish to spend the summer safely and peacefully.