Chinamaxxing for everyday life
It started with a recommendation to watch a Chinese drama on Netflix called “Pursuit of Jade,” starring the very handsome Zhang Linghe. The beautiful cinematography, choreographed fight scenes, and overall production value got me curious to watch more Chinese dramas.
Soon, my algorithm, which was previously all Korean, was overtaken by Chinese language shows. The Imperial Jadite necklace that broke records at Christie’s, which sold for $25.5 million, sparked a renewed interest in jade, prompting jewelers everywhere to follow suit. BTS’ V famously wore a jade ring, causing a jade ring buying frenzy in South Korea.
China’s influences go beyond the current trends. As a civilization, China has influenced Japanese, then Korean culture. It even made its way to the Philippines, in the days of the Chinese traders and the migration and assimilation of people from the mainland into the local population. Filipino food, culture, and belief systems are famously infused with Chinese culture, dating back hundreds of years. Pancit, siopao, siomai, tikoy, mooncake—food that is culturally important to Chinese traditions are part of our everyday life.
I have been seeing acupuncturists and Chinese doctors for several years, and am a full believer in the healing it brings to our bodies. As I learn more and more about Chinese medicine, culture, food, and perspective on the world, there are a few things that I have picked up that can influence our daily lives for the better.
The moon and seasons as a guide to daily living
Chinese traditional cosmology weaves together three systems—the lunar-solar calendar, the 24 solar terms, and the five elements (wu xing)—into one integrated way of living in sync with nature. The elements generate and control one another in cycles—Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth (ash), Earth bears Metal, Metal collects Water, Water nourishes Wood—and this same cycle maps onto the turning of the seasons themselves.
The Chinese calendar tracks both the moon and the sun. Months follow the moon’s cycle (new moon to new moon, about 29.5 days), while an extra leap month is added periodically to keep the calendar aligned with the solar year—otherwise it would drift out of sync with the actual seasons.
The moon’s phases traditionally shaped daily and social rhythms:
- New moon — a time of rest, quiet, and new beginnings; low yang energy, good for introspection rather than big action
- Waxing moon — growing energy, favorable for starting projects, planting, initiating relationships
- Full moon — peak yang/fullness, associated with reunion, celebration, and abundance (this is why major festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival and Lantern Festival fall on full moons — families gather to mirror the moon’s “wholeness”)
- Waning moon — a time for finishing, consolidating, and letting go, better suited to closing things out than launching them.
The 24 solar terms
Layered on top of the lunar months is a solar calendar of 24 “solar terms” (jiéqì), each about 15 days long, marking subtle shifts in the sun’s position and corresponding changes in nature: Start of Spring, Rain Water, Insects Awaken, Spring Equinox, Clear and Bright (Qingming), Grain Rain, Start of Summer, Grain Full, Grain in Ear, Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, Major Heat, Start of Autumn, End of Heat, White Dew, Autumn Equinox, Cold Dew, Frost’s Descent, Start of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, Major Cold.
This is really the backbone of the “live by the seasons” philosophy—farmers historically timed planting and harvest by these terms, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) still uses them to guide diet, sleep, and activity today.
Underlying all of this is the principle from the “Huangdi Neijing” (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) that health comes from living in harmony with heaven and earth (天人相应)—that the human body is a microcosm of nature, so when the outer world cycles through Wood→Fire→Earth→Metal→Water, the body should adjust its diet, sleep, activity, and even emotional expression to match.
Deviating from this, staying up late in winter when the body wants rest, or eating heating foods in summer, is traditionally seen as inviting imbalance and illness, which is the whole basis for seasonal eating and living guidance in TCM even today.
Eating mindfully
Eating seasonally fits right in with the Chinese philosophy. Having your constitution read by a TCM practitioner is essential to make the most out of this. While it can be overwhelming to understand, looking at the seasons and what is seasonally available is a simple and practical way to eat.
Spring (Wood) — Nature awakens; energy rises upward and outward like a sprouting plant. Traditional guidance: rise early, walk outdoors, let hair and clothing loosen rather than binding the body, avoid suppressing emotions (since anger/frustration is Wood’s emotion and can stagnate liver qi). Eat sour and green foods—young greens, sprouts, chives, vinegar-dressed dishes—to support the liver.
Summer (Fire) — Peak yang energy, growth and expansion. Guidance: stay active but avoid overheating, sleep a little later and rise early, keep the heart calm and joyful without excess excitement. Eat bitter and cooling foods—bitter melon, lotus leaf, mung bean soup, watermelon—to clear heat and calm the heart.
Late Summer (Earth) — A transitional pivot between summer and autumn, tied to the spleen/stomach. Guidance: focus on digestion, avoid excess worry, eat plain and grounding foods. Sweet (not sugary, but naturally sweet) foods like pumpkin, corn, sweet potato, and rice support the spleen.
Autumn (Metal) — Energy contracts and turns inward, like leaves falling. Guidance: go to bed earlier, rise with the sun, protect the lungs from dryness, process grief rather than holding it. Eat pungent but moistening foods—pears, white radish, lily bulb, almonds—to counter dryness and nourish the lungs.
Winter (Water) — Energy withdraws deep inward, like water storing beneath ice. Guidance: sleep more, rise later, conserve energy, avoid excessive sweating or overexertion, keep warm especially around the kidneys/lower back. Eat salty, warming, “black” foods—black beans, black sesame, walnuts, bone broth, lamb—to nourish kidney essence, which is considered the root of vitality.
At the heart of it all, is mindfulness about emotions. Too much of any emotion is sure to throw the body off balance. The classic image of yin and yang, finding balance in your life, is perhaps the most valuable thing we can learn from living this way.
