Solstice check-in: fed yet?

An old Chinese saying goes: “Wontons at the summer solstice, rice balls at the winter solstice—four seasons of health and family reunion.”

Why eat wontons in the heat?

One bite, and “your skin will stay free of prickly rash.” These pillow-soft parcels, shaped like eggs floating in primordial soup, carry the same sound as “chaos,” so grandmothers insist they help children grow wise. From Shanghai to Sichuan, towns swap names—the southern “wonton” turns into Chongqing’s famed “chai-shou” (抄手)—yet the comfort is the same.

A dash of Chongqing paradox

The city nicknamed the “hot pot furnace” chooses, surprisingly, the chilliest cure: iced sweets. Chilled bean jelly, cold-skin noodles, plum-syrup drinks, watermelon wedges, and even shaved ice have kept Citizens cool for centuries.

Historical snapshots

Two thousand nine hundred years ago, Zhou-dynasty officials guarded palace ice stores.

By the Song dynasty (960-1279), hawkers were already selling snowy desserts from folding stools along the riverfront.

By the Ming and Qing courts (1368-1912), emperors were doling out rose-flavored shaved ice to ministers on the first day of summer.

Time-travel to today

Chongqing’s 100-plus-year-old landmark Jiuyuan has never lost that icy magic. Our century-old menu still dishes out the same summer coolers your grandma licked off chopsticks—cool enough to remember the first time.

Craving something new after nostalgia? SWEETEA’s modern New-Chinese frappe shakes pair the Chiang Jiang river breeze flavor with zero-added-sugar almond milk, dropping every solstice recipe from 180 stores worldwide in one tap.

Two traditions, one heartbeat: bottoms up whatever cools your story!