沒有空調，古代人到底怎樣熬過炎炎夏日？

文史 09-07

原標題：沒有空調，古代人到底怎樣熬過炎炎夏日？

立秋已經過去一個月了

距離秋分還不到20天的的時間

天氣也終於開始慢慢由熱轉涼了

不過在廣州，9月就想享受秋天？

不存在的！

這個天氣想必離開空調還是沒法活了

當代人的命是空調給的

但你有沒有想過古人在沒有空調的情況下

是如何度過酷熱的夏日呢？

前一陣大火的宮廷劇《延禧攻略》里

剛好有一集講到魏瓔珞為了給皇后降暑

自製了「冰鑒」

相當於古代的「電冰箱」

其實除了這種方法

古代人還有很多避暑的妙招

Clothes

衣服

Although ancient Chinese fashion tended to be conservative, especially for women, the summer heat could drive anyone mad. To keep cool, women would wear thin, translucent clothes.

儘管在時尚方面，古代中國女性趨向保守。高溫天氣讓人人都很抓狂。為了保持涼爽，古代女性會穿著纖薄、半透明的衣服。

But translucent silk clothes were not just for women, men wore them as well.

不過，半透明的絲綢衣服不僅女性可以穿，男性也可以。

For people living in the middle and lower reaches of the Huanghe River, clothing made of bamboo was popular. The material helped the wearer avoid perspiration.

對於住在黃河中下游的人們來說，竹子製成的衣服在當時十分流行。竹子這種材料能幫助穿衣者避免流汗。

Drinks

飲品

People living in intense heat drink a lot of fluids, but for the ancient Chinese, water wasn"t exciting enough. So what did they drink and how did they make it cold without electricity?

在炎熱天氣下，現代人有條件喝各式各樣的飲料。但對古代中國來說，光喝水也遠遠不夠刺激。因此，他們喝什麼？他們在沒有電的情況下如何讓水冷卻？

Without refrigerators or freezers, natural ice was the key to making cold drinks in ancient China.

在古代中國，既沒有冰箱，也沒有冷凍庫，自然冰是製造冷飲的關鍵。

Cold drinks were plentiful in the Song dynasty (960 - 1279). In summer, in addition to cold wine, people also enjoyed icy litchi juice and shaved ice.

在宋朝（960-1279），冷飲種類十分豐富。夏日，除了冰酒外，人們還喜歡喝冰鎮荔枝汁和刨冰。

It is said that Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) in China, loved to drink milk, and would add ice to the milk to make it last longer in the summer. He also added preserves and jam to his favorite icy drink, creating the world"s first ice cream prototype.

據說中國元朝（1271-1368）開國皇帝忽必烈喜歡喝牛奶，夏天喝時還會往裡面加冰，讓牛奶保質期延長些。他還喜歡往自己最愛的冷飲裡面添加果醬，創造了首個冰淇淋原型。

In order to keep the ice cream production process private, he issued a decree that no one except the royal family could make ice cream. In the 13th century, Italian traveler Marco Polo met Kublai Khan and had the honor of enjoying the royal treat.

為使冰淇淋生產工序不外泄，他頒布了一條法令，不允許皇室意外的其他任何人製作冰淇淋。13世紀，義大利旅行家馬克·波羅拜訪了忽必烈，因而有幸嘗到皇室特供冰淇淋。

After leaving China, Marco Polo brought the technique of making ice cream back to the West. After a few tweaks, he finally made the ice cream we see today.

從中國離開以後，馬克·波羅把冰淇淋的生產技術帶到了西方。他對這項生產技術做了幾處改進，最終生產出了我們今天看到的冰淇淋。

Herbal drinks became popular in Beijing during the Qing dynasty (1644-1912). Along with liquorice, people also drank lotus seed soup, which was believed to clear away internal heat and remove toxins.

草本飲料是在中國古代清朝（1644-1912）年開始流行的。那時，人們也把甘草放在蓮子湯中喝，聽說這樣可以去火排毒。

Empress Dowager Cixi, who controlled the Chinese government in the late Qing dynasty from 1861 until her death in 1908, favored an icy plum syrup drink during the scorching summer. It was made of plum juice, sweet osmanthus and hawthorn fruit.

慈禧太后從1861年控制晚清中國政府，直到1908年去世。在這期間，每到炎炎夏日，她都鍾愛酸梅湯。酸梅湯由梅汁、香甜的桂花和山楂果製作而成。

Where did they keep ice to prevent it from melting in the summer heat? During the Warring States Period (475–221 BC), ice was kept in a device called 「冰鑒(bīng hàn),」 which was made of copper and later rosewood.

他們在炎熱的夏天如何防止冰融化呢？戰國期間（公元前475-221），冰都儲藏在一個叫「冰鑒」的設備中，該設備由銅和後來的玫瑰花製成。。

（也就是前面《延禧攻略》里的「冰鑒」）

Housing

房屋

For emperors in ancient China, especially during the Qing dynasty, the popular style of architecture made keeping cool an easy task. The Mountain Resort and its Outlying Temples in Chengde, Hebei Province, was where emperors during the Qing dynasty spent their scorching summers.

對古代中國皇帝來說，特別是清朝皇帝，這種流行的建築風格讓保持涼爽成為一件輕而易於的事。河北承德避暑山莊及外八廟是清朝皇帝的夏日避暑勝地。

The emperors came to the resort every year in the fourth and fifth lunar months and returned to Beijing in September or October. As a result, the resort was recognized as the second political center outside Beijing.

清朝皇帝每年農曆四五月份來此避暑，九月或十月回到北京。結果，承德避暑山莊被認作是除北京外的第二個政治中心。

In addition to the resort, the royal family could also stay cool in the Forbidden City, despite having walls that were too high to allow cool wind to blow in. There were five ice cellars in the Forbidden City intended for storing ice throughout the year. The chambers featured two levels – one above ground and one below – and were located near the rivers inside the Forbidden City.

除了承德避暑山莊，皇室成員也可在紫禁城內避暑，儘管紫禁城高聳的城牆阻擋了涼爽的風吹進城裡。紫禁城內有5處地窖，用來整年存冰。地窖有兩層，一層地上，一層地下。地窖位於城內河流附近。

In winter, thick ice would be cut from rivers both inside and outside of the Forbidden City and placed inside the ice cellars. No light or heat from outside could enter the cellar, where the temperature would immediately drop as long as ice was stored inside. As many as 5,000 blocks of ice could be contained in each ice cellar, and the doors wouldn"t be opened until the next scorching summer.