Frost’s Descent, 23 October to 6 November
The journal

Knowledge

Seasons, herbs and the Chinese tradition: a plain letter, following the 24 breaths of the solar calendar.

  1. Descente du givre (霜降 Shuāngjiàng) : le dernier souffle d’automne - BotaQi Frost’s Descent 23 October to 6 November

    Frost’s Descent (霜降 Shuāngjiàng): the last breath of autumn

    One morning, the dew no longer beads: it whitens. From 23 October to 6 November, Frost’s Descent (霜降 Shuāngjiàng) closes the autumn of Metal, and we welcome the threshold of winter with an amber cup of Black tea with ...Featured October 23, 2026 3 min read Current breathRead the article
  2. L’automne du producteur : récolte, séchage, conservation - BotaQi Cold Dew 8 to 22 October

    The grower’s autumn: harvest, drying, storage

    While the cities count the shortening days, the fields live their most intense season: harvest, drying, sorting.October 15, 2026 4 min read
  3. Rosée froide (寒露 Hánlù) : se couvrir, se resserrer - BotaQi Cold Dew 8 to 22 October

    Cold Dew (寒露 Hánlù): covering up, drawing in

    From 8 to 22 October, the Cold Dew (寒露 Hánlù) thickens the mornings: we cover up, we draw in, and the warm aromatics return to the kitche...October 8, 2026 4 min read
  4. Le fruit du moine (罗汉果 Luó Hàn Guǒ), douceur d’automne - BotaQi Autumn Equinox 23 September to 7 October

    Monk fruit (罗汉果 Luó Hàn Guǒ), an autumn sweetness

    A small brown sphere, surprisingly light, that rustles when you shake it: one of the most intense sweetnesses of the plant world. A portr...September 28, 2026 5 min read
  5. Équinoxe d’automne (秋分 Qiūfēn) : recueillir et trier - BotaQi Autumn Equinox 23 September to 7 October

    Autumn Equinox (秋分 Qiūfēn): gathering and sorting

    Around 23 September, day and night stand equal: 秋分 (Qiūfēn), the Autumn Equinox, a time for gathering, sorting and celebrating the moon a...September 23, 2026 4 min read
  6. La table d’automne : la douceur, à l’heure de l’air sec - BotaQi White Dew 8 to 22 September

    The autumn table: sweetness, at the hour of dry air

    In September, the kitchen changes its smell: compotes, dried fruit, steaming bowls held in both hands. The autumn table cultivates sweetn...September 14, 2026 4 min read
  7. Rosée blanche (白露 Báilù) : la fraîcheur sèche arrive - BotaQi White Dew 8 to 22 September

    White Dew (白露 Báilù): dry coolness arrives

    From 8 to 22 September, the morning grass wears pearls: this is the White Dew (白露 Báilù), when the air tips towards dry coolness.September 8, 2026 4 min read
  8. L’automne, la saison du Poumon : le Métal, le piquant, la clarté sèche - BotaQi White Dew 8 to 22 September

    Autumn, the season of the Lung: Metal, the pungent, dry clarity

    One morning, the air takes on a new sharpness: autumn is here, a season the tradition entrusts to Metal (金 Jīn) and to the symbolic Lung;...September 5, 2026 4 min read
  9. Le kudzu (葛根 Gé Gēn), racine des grandes chaleurs - BotaQi End of Heat 23 August to 7 September

    Kudzu (葛根 Gé Gēn), root of the great heat

    A conquering vine in summer, a giant root under the earth: kudzu (葛根 Gé Gēn) is a plant of stubbornness, from which China has for centuri...August 31, 2026 4 min read
  10. Fin des chaleurs (处暑 Chǔshǔ) : le repli commence - BotaQi End of Heat 23 August to 7 September

    End of Heat (处暑 Chǔshǔ): the withdrawal begins

    Around 23 August, 处暑 (Chǔshǔ), the “End of Heat”, slides summer towards autumn: the nights turn cool, the withdrawal begins. In your cup,...August 23, 2026 4 min read
  11. La longue fin d’été : la Terre, la Rate et l’humidité - BotaQi Beginning of Autumn 8 to 22 August

    The long end of summer: the Earth, the Spleen and the damp

    Between summer and autumn, Chinese thought slips in a fifth season: the long end of summer (長夏 chángxià), time of Earth, of the sweet fla...August 17, 2026 4 min read
  12. La table de la fin d’été : léger, tiède, à l’heure de l’humidité de l’arrière-saison - BotaQi Beginning of Autumn 8 to 22 August

    The table at the end of summer: light, warm, at the hour of late-season damp

    When August grows heavy, the table turns light and warm: clear broths, round aromatics, brief cooking. The dietetics of the late season c...August 17, 2026 4 min read