中國古人是如何度過炎炎夏日的？.

　　According to the Chinese solar terms, it’s Major Heat now, when most parts of China experience the hottest days of the year. During the scorching summer, we modern people can enjoy cold drinks in an air-conditioned room to escape the heat. But how did ancient people cool down without these modern-day technologies?

　　按照中國的節(jié)氣，現(xiàn)在正值大暑。中國的大部分地區(qū)都進入了一年中最熱的時期。在炎炎夏日，現(xiàn)代人可以在空調(diào)房里吹冷氣喝冷飲來避暑，沒有現(xiàn)代科技技術(shù)的古人又是如何避暑的呢?

　　Icehouse and ice ticket

　　冰室和冰票

　　As early as Pre-Qin Dynasty (2100-221 BC), people used natural ice to keep food fresh and make cold drinks. According to the record in the Confucian classic Zhou Rites, the Zhou royal court had a specialized department called the "ice administration" which had 80 employees. The department collected natural ice blocks each December, and then transported them to the ice house for storage.

　　其實古人自有妙招，早在先秦時期人們就已經(jīng)開始使用冰塊保鮮，制冷。據(jù)《周禮》記載，當(dāng)時周王室專門成立了相應(yīng)的機構(gòu)管理“冰政”，此部門的編制不小，共有80名“職工”。一般從每年冬天的12月起，工人開始采取天然冰塊，運至冰窖中儲存。

　　Some senior officials were awarded ice cubes by the Zhou royal court, which was a big honor during that time. The system of granting ice lasted until the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. During the Qing Dynasty, "ice tickets" were distributed to officials instead of sending the ice directly to them.

　　周王室還會將冰塊賞賜給身邊人，但也不是什么人都能享受的。這種賞冰制度一直沿襲到了明清。到了清朝，開始給官員們發(fā)“冰票”而非直接賜冰。

　　Ice container

　　冰鑒

　　The most commonly used cooling utensil is called "Jian", which is a big container filled with ice. It was made of ceramic in early Chinese history, and was later made of copper. The "Jian" can be seen as an ancient rrigerator, which can be used to make cold drinks. Put the vessel holding food inside the "Jian", close the lid, and the drinks would become cold after a while.

　　古人日常使用的冷藏器具叫“鑒”。鑒，實是一種大盆，早期是陶質(zhì)，春秋中期以后流行青銅鑒，又稱“冰鑒”?！氨b”可以說就是古代的冰箱，用來冷藏飲品。使用時，將盛滿飲料或食物的器皿放進去，四周圍滿冰塊，合上蓋子，不多時“冷飲”就可制成。

　　Hiding food in the well

　　水井

　　During the Qin (221-207 BC) and Han (202 BC-AD 220) dynasties, for common people, the most common way to cool off is by using their wells.

　　在秦漢時期，對尋常老百姓來說消暑的最常用方式就是使用水井降溫。

　　Some families put an urn in the well as a cold closet, or put food in a basket and lowered the basket into the well with a rope. Actually, ancient people don’t need cold beverages, as well water was the best drink in summer.

　　在井中置一口大甕，作為放置食品的“冷藏室”;或?qū)⑹称分糜诨@子中，然后用繩索系于井中保存。實際上，古人也不需要什么冷飲，井水就是最好的飲品。

　　Herbal drinks

　　草藥飲品

　　During the Qing Dynasty, taking Chinese herbal medicine was popular in Beijing. According to historical records, during the scorching summer, some people prerred to drink ice water, some boiled perilla leaves, and liquorice as summer soup to keep off the heat. Ancient people also loved to make lotus seed soup in summer which was said to have the benit of strengthening the body.

　　到了清朝，京師開始流行喝由中草藥熬成的飲料。據(jù)史書記載，在炎熱的夏天，不少人喜歡喝由紫蘇葉，甘草熬成的冰水驅(qū)暑氣。蓮子湯也是古人的心頭好，據(jù)說蓮子湯還能強身健體。

　　Bed-mat for summer

　　涼席

　　Ancient people wove vines, reeds, or bamboo into bed-mats for summer which are cool to sleep on.

　　古人會用藤條，蘆葦或是竹子編成涼席，減少熱意。

　　Porcelain pillow

　　瓷枕

　　The surface of a porcelain pillow is a layer of glaze, which feels pleasantly cool. It is said that the Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty liked his porcelain pillow a lot.

　　瓷枕的表面為一層釉，觸感冰涼。傳聞，清乾隆帝對瓷枕甚為喜歡。

　　Dragon fur curtain

　　龍皮帳

　　The dragon fur curtain was used during ancient times to block the hot waves in the summer, and keep interiors pleasantly cool. It was not really made of dragon fur, since there are no such creatures as dragons, so some say it was made of the skin of large boas. Surrounded by large and cold boa skins, the place would feel like an air-conditioned room. However, the skin was precious and difficult to obtain, so only the royal court was able to use it.

　　古人用龍皮帳遮擋外面的熱氣。并不是真的由龍皮制成，因為世上本就沒有龍這種生物。所以有人說應(yīng)該是由蟒蛇皮制成的。巨大，冰涼的蛇皮將床圍起來，感覺就像是在空調(diào)房中一樣。然而，蟒蛇皮非常珍貴且不易得所以只有皇室才有機會享用。

　　Bamboo lady

　　竹美人

　　Ancient people in the southern parts of China prerred to use a cylinder-shaped bamboo ware, which is hollow in the middle and has grid mesh on the surface. It uses the principle of cross ventilation to cool people down, and can be hugged, or used to hold up your feet.

　　在古代中國的南方某些地區(qū)，人們會使用一種圓筒狀的竹器，中間向內(nèi)凹，表面呈網(wǎng)格狀。這款神器利用對流通風(fēng)的原理降暑，可供人抱，或是搭腳。

　　Fan

　　扇子

　　Last but not least, the most commonly used tool to cool down in the summer is the humble fan, and is still used nowadays. Fans were made of different materials, such as bird’s feathers, bamboo, or fur.

　　最后，當(dāng)然是最常見的扇子了。別看它其貌不揚，但是直到今天還在使用。扇子的材質(zhì)多樣，有羽扇，竹扇，還有毛扇。