Shanghai Diary: 小寒 and 大寒

[wrote_and_writ]

Okay, I knew that it would be colder here in Shanghai than it was in Taiwan, but I figured since it didn’t snow, it would be fine, better than Minsk.

Friends, I was wrong! I did not prepare for winter well at all! January 5th marked the start of 小寒 (xiǎo hán, or Minor Cold) month on the Chinese 24 month solar calendar (I haven’t researched more into it, I’ve just picked up tidbits from various social media posts) and yikes! The temps have dipped below freezing AND the humidity has dropped, so my skin is tight and itchy and cold. Plus, my apartment is not well insulated and doesn’t have central heating (typical of Chinese apartments). And Songjiang is really windy, and my apartment windows sit in the path of the wind, so it’s dang cold! And tomorrow marked the start of 大寒 (dà hán, or Major Cold)! I’ll be heading to Idaho on Tuesday for three weeks, right into Idaho’s dà hán season. But I’ve ordered warmer clothes so I’ll be able to better handle the weather there and when I come back. AND crucially, it’s generally been sunny out, which has made a HUGE difference. Minsk was always cloudy and, being so far north, had long, dark winters. And Taiwan, while warmer, was also cloudy and rainy.

Despite the cold, I’m really enjoying life here overall. School is still school, and I’m still going to look for a new job for when my contract ends, but it’s bearable. And I’m back into writing fic, in my first new fandom since I watched The Untamed in 2020. I started watching Under the Skin, a c-drama about a police detective and an artist who becomes the sketch artist. The characters make some WILD choices as police officers, but the lead actors are so charismatic (and handsome) and I’m hooked.

I also finally joined 小红书 — I meant to do it when I got here, but I forgot. However, the TikTok refugee flood reminded me to sign up. My friend Breeze recommended it to me months ago, and I’ve been struggling to find non-Starbucks cafes on Instagram, so I joined and will explore when I get back from vacation in furtherance of my goals to have more treats AND learn more Chinese.

Comments

[pauraque]

Brr, we get the dry cold here too! Winter is moisturizer season.

[wrote_and_writ]

Yeah, I was expecting it to stay humid since it’s humid in spring and summer. I’m not mad that it’s dry — itchy skin is slightly better than being sweaty all the time.

[umadoshi]

Friends, I was wrong! I did not prepare for winter well at all!

Oh no! *shivers*

[wrote_and_writ]

Thankfully, I’m heading home for Lunar New Year break, and I have warm clothes there, plus I ordered more versatile pieces to bring back with me. I did at least prepare with a good coat and knit hats and scarves.

[umadoshi]

That sounds promising all around. ^_^

[wyomingnot]

No heat might be typical where you were, but *every* apartment I saw in Changchun was heated. And the majority managed to face south as well for a double whammy. The heating is run by a centralized system. Every fall there'd be an announcement to be ready for it and to keep an eye out of leaks. Older places had radiators, newer had in-floor systems. Heat was on or off, period. Once it went on in the late fall, it stayed on until spring. No thermostats. And with loads of windows facing south? I had to keep a window open most of the winter just so I wouldn't melt. :)

Glad you're enjoying life in Shanghai. I miss living in China.

[wrote_and_writ]

Oh man, heat on all the time was how it was in Belarus! Luckily my apartment had been recently renovated so I could “turn off” the heat to some extent, but yeah. I vastly prefer having to put on another blanket or get a space heater to all time heating, now that I think about it — and especially as I get older, iykwim lol

I had totally blocked the all-heat, all-the-time thing from my mind 😅