Chapter Thirteen: Liqiu Rites and Folk Customs — From Welcoming Autumn at the Western Suburbs to Biting Autumn and Pasting on Autumn Fat

I. Welcoming Autumn at the Western Suburbs: The Deep Structure of the Son of Heaven's Rite

Liqiu's most solemn, most cosmically significant ceremony is the Son of Heaven's "welcoming autumn at the western suburbs." As already cited from the Monthly Ordinances: on the day of Liqiu, the Son of Heaven personally leads the Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, feudal lords, and grandees to welcome autumn at the western suburbs.

The word "welcome" (ying 迎) is crucial. It indicates that in the ancients' conception, "autumn" was not a passively arriving time but a distinguished presence requiring ceremonial reception — the descending of autumn's virtue (Metal), autumn's spirit (Rushou), autumn's qi (solemn, convergent). The Son of Heaven leading his ministers out to "welcome" embodies near-religious reverence for celestial timing, for seasons, for cosmic rhythm.

II. Sacrifices and Prohibitions: The Ritual Order of the Season of Solemn Killing

The Monthly Ordinances also prescribe: "This month, the farmer first presents the new grain. The Son of Heaven tastes the new harvest, first offering it at the ancestral temple." This "tasting-after-offering" rite deeply embodies the spirit of "revering Heaven and honoring ancestors" — the first grain goes not to the Son of Heaven himself but to the ancestors, expressing gratitude for ancestral blessing.

The ordinances further require: "This month... complete the dikes and embankments, carefully block breaches to guard against floods. Repair palaces and halls, mend walls and ramparts, reinforce the city walls." These orders of "repair" and "fortification" accord with autumn's themes of gathering, defending, and preparing.

III. Biting Autumn: Welcoming Autumn with Melons and Fruit

In folk tradition, the most widely practiced Liqiu custom is kenqiu ("biting autumn" or "gnawing autumn") — eating watermelon, muskmelon, and other fruits on the day of Liqiu to "bite into" autumn and welcome it. Its multiple layers of meaning include: bidding farewell to summer with one last indulgence in its bounty; dispelling residual heat (watermelon's cooling nature counteracts lingering summer Fire); and celebrating and praying for a bountiful harvest.

The beauty of this custom lies in its transformation of a profound cosmic rhythm (the shift from growth to gathering) into an accessible, warm, universally participable life ritual.

IV. Pasting on Autumn Fat: The Wisdom of Aligning Diet with Storage

Tieqiubiao ("pasting on autumn fat") involves eating stewed meats and rich foods at Liqiu to replenish the energy lost during the "bitter summer" (kuxia) and to store up reserves for the coming cold. This folk custom profoundly embodies the wisdom of "following celestial timing to nourish the body" — according with the rhythm of autumn-winter "gathering and storage" by converging and storing energy within.

"Biting autumn" and "pasting on autumn fat" — one cooling (reducing), one fortifying (adding) — seem to pull in opposite directions but are unified by the principle of "according with celestial timing." "Biting autumn" accords with Liqiu's present reality of lingering heat (Fire overcoming Metal); "pasting on autumn fat" accords with Liqiu's long-term rhythm of gathering and storing.

V. The Spirit Behind Folk Customs: The Living Practice of Heaven-Humanity Resonance

Whether it is the Son of Heaven's solemn state ceremony of "welcoming autumn at the western suburbs" or the common people's simple customs of "biting autumn" and "pasting on autumn fat," the essence is the same — humanity's recognition of and accordance with celestial timing, seasons, and cosmic rhythm. From court to countryside, the entire society moves in step with heaven and earth's rhythms, each in its own way.