Made in Macao | Weighing on the ‘Start of Summer’

Jenny Lao-Phillips

The 6th of May marks a new solar term in the Chinese agricultural calendar. We are currently in the term of 접謳Lixia (beginning of summer). As is evident from the name of the term, the day signifies the beginning of warm weather. Usually, on this day, the sun would be shining brightly and emperors in ancient China would send their officials to fields and villages to remind farmers to take care of their produce, welcoming the warmth that will nurture the growth of crops. However, this year’s Lixia seems to be going the opposite direction. Instead of beginning with hot weather, we have encountered a drop in temperature. But whether or not we can enjoy the sun without too much heat at the beginning of summer, there is something we can do to make these two weeks entertaining despite the rain.

During this solar term, one thing we know that was done in ancient China was ‘weighing’ – yes, as in weighing how heavy people were. Nowadays, we use electronic scales. In ancient China, people used a long pole with a basket, and one by one people would hop onto the makeshift scales to see how heavy they were. I believe many of us have unknowingly been practicing this custom. It is the beginning of summer, the time to start losing weight, so it is not surprising to find people weighing themselves every day to see how much weight they have lost or need to lose.

I have found different stories about weighing people during Lixia, but one thing for certain is that it is not to see if we have lost weight. One special thing about weighing in this period is that when a person goes on the scale others will say lucky things; for example, to old people, it is often said, “weighing at 80, living till 91”. And for young girls, it is “weighing 105 kg, being courted by intelligent gentlemen.” While this sounds odd in English, the sayings have a better rhythm in Chinese. And yes, girls probably wanted to weigh 105 kg since being fat was considered beautiful in ancient China. But how did this custom begin?

Legend has it that this practice started during the period of the Three Kingdoms. To keep the story short, one of the kings, Liu Bei, had a son named Liu Shan, who became the last king of Su Han. Liu Shan was orphaned when his mother, the queen, killed herself. When Liu Bei had to go to war, he left his beloved son under the care of one of his concubines. His concubine worried that if she did not take good care of the child, she would be blamed. So when Liu Bei’s general delivered the child to her care, she weighed him and ensured that she would not let the child be mistreated and lose weight. The next year, on the day of Lixia, she weighed him again and reported the growth of the child back to the general. So, it became a tradition for her to weigh the child every year on Lixia. People started to follow this custom, weighing their children to see how much they grew. Over a thousand years later, it has become customary to weigh one’s children on Lixia so that they will be blessed and grow up healthy. It was not clear when people started weighing not just children but also the elderly and young women at home for good luck, longevity, and good marriage.

Anyway, we are in the season for weighing. So, perhaps over these two weeks as we step on the scale, we should get our family and friends to say something lucky for us and practice an old custom. Whether we are gaining or losing weight, consider it an act for good luck.