MUZIChinese Matrix
Major Heat · FFET10314
Grass jelly at Major Heat in Guangdong: boiled into a dark liquid, set and served chilled with red beans and job's tears.
The hottest time of year, when rain and heat come together
A Guangdong proverb names eating grass jelly at Major Heat (account dated July 23, 2026). The herb is boiled until the liquid is dark, set into jelly and served chilled with red beans, job's tears or fruit. Other Major Heat customs include drinking mutton soup in southern Shandong and gifts of lychee and mutton in Fujian. Available evidence does not establish the grass jelly custom's earliest date.
At Major Heat people eat grass jelly (xiancao). The herb is boiled into a dark liquid, set into jelly and served cold. The herb is also the source of liangfen and shao xiancao.1,2
Major Heat falls between July 22 and 24 and coincides with the middle fu period. Available evidence does not establish the custom's earliest date.1,2,3
Guangdong has a proverb about eating grass jelly at Major Heat (account dated July 23, 2026). The herb is also used in Fujian, Chaoshan (where it is called caoguo cao) and Taiwan; the supporting material is flagged for insufficient sourcing. Other Major Heat customs include drinking mutton soup in southern Shandong and gifts of lychee, mutton and mizao in Fujian.1,2
The herb is boiled until the liquid is dark, set into jelly and served chilled with red beans, job's tears or fruit.1
A Guangdong proverb mentions eating grass jelly at Major Heat. The jelly is served cold after setting.1
The herb is a source of liangfen and shao xiancao.2
The Chinese Wikipedia entry on xiancao records 3 tales about the herb's name. These tales concern the herb's name, not the Major Heat custom, and the entry is tagged as needing sources.
Told in: Folk tales retold in the Chinese Wikipedia entry on xiancao, which does not say where they are told and is tagged as needing sources.
