The mutton soup, creamy white and garnished with cilantro and scallions, is a deeply satisfying comfort. [Photo/WeChat account: ytwlgw]

As autumn quietly yields to the north wind, Yantai in East China's Shandong province welcomes Start of Winter — the 19th solar term of the year — not with a ceremony, but with a simmering pot of mutton.

This is the season to nourish the body from within, a time-honored practice of fortifying against the coming cold. And what better way to embrace this ritual than with a bowl of tender, fragrant mutton? Simmered to perfection, it becomes a source of warmth to shield against the wind and to care for body and soul.

In Yantai, winter does not begin with the first frost, but with that first steaming, soul-comforting bite.