Waiting for August 8

For the last eight weeks, Beijing has been a humid, soggy, gray mess. I have seen blue sky twice. It's hot - in the 90s almost every day. And, it's wet - humidity over 90%. I used to believe that 100% humidity = rain, but that's not true. Beijing reaches 100% humidity, and it doesn't rain. For days.

With this level of humidity, it's impossible to differentiate between the fog and the pollution. You know they're both out there, but on any given day, you can't tell which one is responsible for the fact that you can barely see across the street.

The Chinese government's Air Quality Report (SEPA) gave Bejiing a "3A" rating for yesterday, which means, according to SEPA,

"The symptom of the susceptible is aggravated slightly, while the healthy people will appear stimulate symptom. The cardiac and respiratory system patients should reduce strength draining and outdoor activities."

As a healthy people, I can confirm I did appear stimulate symptom: nose running, sneezing, and an occasional stinging in the eyes when outdoors.

I should be clear, though, not all of the blame lies on the pollution or the failure of the authorities to curb pollution. Even with a normal level of pollutants, it would be difficult to be outdoors in this weather, and in the States it would be recommended for many folks to reduce strength draining and outdoor activities. And, with this level of humidity, it would be difficult for even minor levels of pollution to dissipate from the city air.

When one points out to Chinese acquaintances, especially Beijingers, that even if Beijing achieves its pollution control goals, 90-degree heat with 90-percent humidity are not conducive conditions for Olympic athletic performance, they all say, "It will be clear by August 8." Every one agrees, on August 8, the heat will break. On August 8, the air will be dry. August 8 is a magic date. And so, I wait, for August 8.

Why do Beijingers have such faith in August 8? There are probably a few reasons. The first two are most straightforward:

• August 8 is 8/8. 8 is the most auspicious number, so this date must be an auspicious one. Not as auspicious as it will be next year, when the Olympic opening ceremonies will begin at 8 pm on 8/8/08, of course, but an auspicious date in any year to be sure.
• August 8 or this year kicks off the 1-year Olympic countdown activities. As part of the countdown kickoff activities, sporting events are being held all over the country to test China's level of preparation. Festivals and banquets will be held to evaluate the progress of the service industry. 1 million cars will be taken off the road in Beijing to practice for the Olympics and see if it makes any difference in the air. In case you're curious, the way officials get 1 million cars, 1/3 of the automobile population, off the road in Beijing, is to tell all the public servants not to drive. (No, foreign diplomats don't count.) When 1.3 billion people, all descendants of the dragon, join forces in this way to bring honor to the Middle Kingdom, it's not too much to expect the heavens will force the weather to cooperate.
  

But there is another reason, entirely separate from the Olympics. In the Chinese traditional calendar, August 8 represents the beginning of a new season: Autumn. By the time we in the West start Autumn on September 23, the Chinese are halfway through it.

The Chinese also subdivide their seasons into smaller portions, so that August 7 (today!) is not only the last say of summer, but also the last day of the most unbearable sub-portion of the hottest sub-season of summer.

Summer starts in early May, on a day called 立夏 (li xia), or the standing up of summer. But the real heat starts at the beginning of the 三伏天 (san fu tian), which literally means three lying down days, and perhaps could be described as the three periods when it's so hot you want to lie down all day. This stretch of time is about 30 days of the hottest, most humid weather in China.

More over, the hot san fu tian 三伏天 is further broken down into three 伏天 (fu tian) periods of about 10 days (I say about, because there are some years when the whole 三伏天 period is actually 40 days - a fact that requires a far deeper understanding of the Chinese calendar than I posess.) There's early fu, middle fu, and end fu. End fu is the hottest and most humid of them all, and August 7 is the last day of that final fu.

So, today I will bask in the end of the 末伏 "final fu" of the sanfutian of summer. And let's hope Chinese are right about tomorrow!