Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term of the year, implies the summer's end and the autumn's start. In Li's illustration, the delicacy is steamed eggplant. In Chinese classic novel The Dream of the Red Chamber, eggplant steamed in a complicated way tasted not like a vegetable but like chicken. According to traditional Chinese medicine, eggplant can detoxify the body and cool down the body's temperature at the beginning of autumn. (Photo by Li Xiaolin/provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
