Is it better to live in the south or the north?

I was born and raised in Jinzhong, Shanxi Province for nearly 20 years. I studied and worked in Changsha, Hunan Province for nearly 30 years as an adult. Then I went to Shaanxi again, first in southern Shaanxi to the south, and then in Guanzhong to the north. So people often ask me, is it better to live in the south or the north?

This question is really not easy to answer. What is good or bad? For the same thing, one person says it is good and that person says it is bad. The same color, one person says it looks good, another person says it looks ugly. The same dish, one person says it is delicious, another person says it is not delicious. The same chair may be comfortable for one person, but uncomfortable for that person. The same style of clothes, shoes and hats, whether it is a floor, sofa or dining table, or a car, an off-road vehicle or an RV, one person can say yes and the other person can say no. Even if it is the same person, some people praise him and others sneer at him...

And the concepts of south and north are too big. We generally use the Yangtze River as the dividing line. South of the Yangtze River is south and north of the Yangtze River is north. In fact, the climate environment is divided by the Qinling Mountains. To the south of the Qinling Mountains, the climate is mild and humid, with high temperatures and small temperature differences, which is the south; to the north of the Qinling Mountains, the climate is dry, with low temperatures and large temperature differences, which is the north. Heating in winter is bounded by the Qinling Mountains.

Moreover, Hubei and Hainan and Fujian, which both belong to the south, are far apart and very different. Henan and Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, which both belong to the north, are also very different. However, northern Hubei in the south and southern Shaanxi in the north are very close to each other, so naturally the differences in all aspects are very small.

So I can’t make a general conclusion about whether it’s good or bad. Originally, everyone has their own conclusion. But I can have my own habits, likes and dislikes. For the time being, I will call Shanxi and Shaanxi, the two relatively middle parts of the north, the north, and I will call the relatively middle part of the south, Hunan, the south.

About eating

For example, eating noodles and eating rice. Some northerners are just not used to eating rice. They eat rice until their stomachs are bloated, but they still feel hungry. Only when you swallow a steaming bowl of noodles mixed with rich sesame seeds and swallow the soup and water, your stomach, which seems to have been empty all the time, becomes full and satisfied.

Southerners are not full of noodles, so they can only fill their stomachs for breakfast, late-night snacks, or simple dinners. Southerners think that eating noodles is too simple and they don’t eat vegetables at all. How can it be nutritious? As everyone knows, real saozi is also very particular. The meat and vegetables inside are matched with colors, and the color, flavor and flavor are all the same. Southerners eat carefully and have rich and varied dishes, but they are still much thinner. People in the north eat rough food, eating whole grains and grains. There are fewer vegetables in cold weather, but they still grow much stronger.

For this kind of noodles, the rolls of dry noodles that southerners eat, which northerners call noodles, are disdainful and can only be regarded as junk food to quickly satisfy hunger. Only put the flour at home in a ceramic basin, add water evenly, stir evenly, and knead it into a dough, then roll the dough into dough and cut it into noodles or various shapes, immediately put it into the pot of boiling water, and finally remove the noodles in the bowl. It is the authentic hand-made noodles that are made and eaten right away, which can relieve the homesickness of northerners living in the south.

When it comes to eating, the concept of eating in the south is vegetables and rice, while eating in the north is noodles, steamed buns, pancakes, steamed buns, dumplings, rice, as well as steamed buns, dough skins, etc. When I habitually say that I have cooked rice, the northerner asks what kind of rice I have cooked. I am confused, and so is the other person, until I remember that I should say that I have cooked rice.

In the north, people eat in a variety of noodles, while in the south, they eat in a variety of dishes.

About dryness and wetness

When southerners go to the north, they often have dry nostrils, and even get angry and have nosebleeds. They will immediately pity the northerners: "How can you stand being so dry every day?" But people say, "Southerners are so squeamish, wouldn't it be great if we were like this every day?"

Northerners don't understand the wetness of the south. Northerners in the south went to rest without finishing a bag of melon seeds, leaving the bag open. When I ate it again the next day, wow, the skin of the melon seeds had collapsed and there was no crispy texture anymore. It was really not delicious and it would be a pity to throw it away. Remember, you must tie the bag securely next time. The melon seeds are still crunchy after being left open for several days in the north.

There are also bread and steamed buns. Even if they are placed in a bag, after a few days, the bread and steamed buns in the north will develop a hard crust, while those in the south will develop a layer of green mold. Even if you buy leafy vegetables and put them on the floor, after two days, you can choose to soak some of them in water in the north and continue to eat them; if they are in the south, they may all be soaked in water next to the floor, so you have to throw away most of them.

This is all caused by the moisture.

When northerners come to the south, the humidity is evaporating in the summer, and there is a big steamer outside, making them sticky and uncomfortable. The child of a middle school classmate of mine came to study Central South University and Hunan University after the college entrance examination. After staying for a few days, he decided not to apply to Hunan University. It was not because the school was not good, but because he couldn't stand the sweltering heat and sticky feeling all over his body every day.

This is not the case in the north. When it is hotter, you will sweat at noon. Once you sweat, it will dry quickly and you will not feel sticky. Southerners also feel sticky, so they often take showers. There was a joke earlier, "If I don't answer the phone, I'm either taking a shower or on my way to take a shower."

About bathing

Southerners do not understand that northerners do not bathe so diligently. Northerners really don’t need it. They don’t feel uncomfortable or dirty, so why do they always need to take a shower? And does bathing take away more moisture from the body? It seems that people in the north don’t need more water than in the south.

In fact, southerners still don’t understand how thorough northerners bathe. There are many public bathhouses in the north. They have three minimum configurations: one is a large pond for bathing, the other is a bath master who can give you a bath, and of course there is a shower at the end. When you are soaking in the pond and it is steaming, take a bath. After rubbing it up, down, left, right, front, and back, your whole body will be clear and relaxed. It is really refreshing. Of course everyone is honest with each other in the bathhouse.

With the improvement of living conditions, many high-end large bathhouses have opened in the north. In addition to basic configurations, they also have more enjoyable items, such as surfing, massage, steaming, sauna, swimming, and bathing. Also add milk, bird's nest, red wine, etc., and then you can go to the lounge to eat some fruit snacks, play cards and have fun... As soon as there are entertainment items, they are also opened in the south, called bathing centers. Southerners also like to go to hot springs to soak. In fact, it is an extension of bathing, but it is still secretive and requires wearing a swimsuit.

About cold and warm

In winter, the winter in the north looks icy and snowy, and it seems very cold. In fact, it’s just that when you need to go out, it’s cold on the road, so just wear a scarf, hat, and gloves. Once you get inside, The spring breeze blows. Especially now that floor heating is installed, which minimizes waste of heat energy. The temperature in the house can reach nearly 30 degrees, and it only drops to 26 or 27 degrees with some windows opened, so it is light and comfortable at home.

Winter in the south looks green with green mountains and green waters, and seems very warm. In fact, it is very warm outside when the sun is shining, but it is cold when you enter the house. It is warmer outside than inside. On cloudy and rainy days, it is just as cold inside and outside the house, but there is no wind inside. In the south, there are many cloudy and rainy days in the winter, and the whole body is often cold all day long. It is freezing cold, tight and tense, and there is no relaxation.

Of course, conditions are good now, and air conditioners are installed in every workplace and home. But the air conditioner blows air, and the hot air just fills the room. When the door is opened, half of the hot air escapes, and the whole room never heats up. If the room cannot be heated, the temperature cannot be raised. It's considered good if it can reach 15 degrees. If it can reach 20 degrees, it must be because the air conditioner has been running all day, and it is very dry.

There are also homes with radiators and floor heating installed. Because they are installed by individuals, there are not many installed in the whole building, and they are not always on. Therefore, heating to a certain temperature requires a relatively large amount of energy, which is much greater than the average consumption of heating a building in the north. If it's not too cold, I still want to save money and not leave it on often. When it needs to be turned on, more gas or electricity is consumed.

So there are more people warming up in the south than in the north. It used to be a firewood basin, a charcoal basin, and a charcoal basin. Now for the sake of hygiene and convenience, there are electric ovens, electric ovens, electric fans, etc. This kind of heat is localized, the face facing it is hot, and the lower back is still cold.

So when northerners go to the south to spend the winter, they say, "It's really cold in the south. Who said the south is warm?" In the house, "The winter in the north isn't so cold!"

In recent years, the climate has become more and more abnormal. Summer floods still occur in the south, but they are becoming more common in the north. As a result, I couldn't adapt for a while and was flooded everywhere. Blizzards in winter were once exclusive to the north, but now they are falling more and more in the south. Although it satisfies the curiosity of southerners who have never seen heavy snow, it has caused traffic paralysis, burst water pipes and other inconveniences because they were not prepared to prevent skids and freezes.

Perhaps the difference between the north and the south will become smaller and smaller?

About the environment

In the south, because the temperature is relatively high, the vegetation is rich, and leaves do not fall, the weather can be enjoyed all year round. All covered in green.

Because the temperature in the north is low, most of the plants suitable for growth are deciduous plants, so there is less green in winter and it is relatively desolate. But winter wheat is emerald green, shining brightly on the plains before it is covered with snow.

At the same time, because of the temperature, the four seasons in the north are distinct. Everything grows in spring, flourishes in summer, harvests in autumn, and collects in winter. There are no obvious four seasons in the South, with spring, summer, autumn and winter all growing and maturing.

In spring, when the spring breeze blows, there are no leaves in the north to block it. Sometimes there will be sandstorms, and at the same time, there will be pink willows and red willows. In the south, during the rainy season, the dark green fell to the ground and was replaced by new green without even realizing it.

In winter, when there is heavy snow, the north releases more carbon dioxide due to heating, and there is more smog.

However, the crisp autumn air in the north is rarely seen in the south. Perhaps because of the high humidity, there is always a cloud of fog in the sky in the south, and there are very few bright blue skies throughout the year.

Others

Perhaps it is still dependent on mountains and rivers. The north needs heating, and coal reserves are mainly in the north. The humidity in the south is high and there are many rivers in the south. The north mainly uses thermal power, while the south mainly uses hydropower. At the same time, the water in the north is hard, so you have to be jealous. The south has a lot of humidity, so it eats spicy food.

Therefore, there is no question whether the south or the north is better. It’s just your habits. Just get used to it. There are also your preferences, your mood, your feelings, your affection must be good...