Quick Answer: What Is Bailu White Dew?
Bailu (白露, báilù), or White Dew, is the fifteenth of China’s twenty-four solar terms. It begins in early September at 165° of ecliptic longitude, a measure of the Sun’s apparent position along its yearly path.[1][2]
- When. Usually September 7 or 8 on the Gregorian calendar.[2][3][4]
- Seasonal image. On suitable nights, dew forms on cooled grasses and leaves.[2]
- Local customs. Nanjing has a seasonal tea tradition. Fuzhou is known for eating longan (龙眼, lóngyǎn) at White Dew.[5][6]
The calendar date is shared. Weather and harvests differ by region.
A tea seller in Nanjing and a fruit grower near Fuzhou can both use White Dew to name part of the harvest season. The term also gives a name to mornings when dew lingers on the grass.[2][5][6]
When Does White Dew Begin?
White Dew follows Chushu, the End of Heat, and ends when Qiufen, the Autumn Equinox, begins. A solar term can mean the instant it begins or the stretch of about fifteen days before the next term.[1][3][4]
The Hong Kong Observatory gives September 7, 2026 (day 26 of the seventh lunar month) and September 8, 2027 (day eight of the eighth lunar month). The difference between solar terms and lunar months explains why the lunar date moves.[3][4]
Dew and Three Signs of Autumn
When grass and leaves cool enough overnight, moisture from the air condenses on them. The droplets catch the light in the morning. The early Chinese poem often called Reeds pairs white dew with a reed bank, a seasonal image from the Book of Songs.[2][7]
Traditional almanacs break White Dew into three roughly five-day periods, each associated with a different sign.[2]
- Wild geese arrive. The calendar marks the arrival of geese on their autumn journey.[2] In art, wild geese can also signal autumn.
- Swallows depart. The old phrase describes the return of the “dark bird,” conventionally understood here as the swallow leaving for warmer places.[2]
- Birds store food. The last phrase evokes birds gathering provisions before the cold.[2]
These observations belong to a traditional seasonal calendar. The timing of migration and the first cool spell depends on local conditions.
White Dew Tea and Longan Customs
Around Nanjing, White Dew tea (白露茶, báilù chá) is named for the seasonal picking period. In Nanjing’s Jiangning district, growers pick tender shoots around Bailu and can make them into green tea.[5]
In Fuzhou, people traditionally eat fresh longan around White Dew. The custom coincides with the harvest in local growing areas including Changle. Some Fuzhou families serve the fruit with rice porridge.[5][6]
FAQs About Bailu White Dew
Is White Dew on the same lunar date each year?
No. The Sun’s position determines White Dew. Its lunar date can change because lunar months follow the Moon’s phases.[1][3][4]
Is White Dew tea a kind of white tea?
The name White Dew tea identifies a harvest season. White tea is a processing category. White Dew tea in Nanjing may be made as green tea.[5]
Sumber
[1] UNESCO. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms
[2] Hubei Intangible Cultural Heritage. White Dew and the first autumn wind
[3] Hong Kong Observatory. 2026 Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table
[4] Hong Kong Observatory. 2027 Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table
[5] Zhejiang Federation of Humanities and Social Sciences. Tasting the Solar Terms: White Dew
[6] Fuzhou Municipal Government. Tasting longan during the Fuzhou harvest
[7] Hunan Provincial Government. 24 Solar Terms – Bailu