How Much Can Climate Affect a Person’s Body?

Climate has a considerable effect on the body. Let me illustrate this with my own experience.

Although I am from Sichuan and grew up in Zhejiang, the climate of the Yangtze River basin does not suit me.

Every winter as a child, I developed chilblains. At the beginning of winter, small bumps would appear on both hands. They were terribly itchy, and I could not resist scratching them. At first there were only one or two, but more and more appeared. After a few days, they joined together into red, swollen patches. As the weather grew colder, my swollen fingers began to ulcerate and discharge pus. At their worst, I could not even do my homework. They would not improve until late winter. Chilblains are therefore one of my most vivid childhood memories.

I also had rhinitis from childhood. One nostril was always blocked, and I could never wipe my nose completely clean. Even a slight cold made me miserable, and I could not sleep at night at all. I seem to have gone to hospital for it, but it was never cured, so rhinitis remained a constant companion.

When I went to university in Beijing, I genuinely found the climate more pleasant. My rhinitis was less severe, and the low winter humidity and indoor heating made it feel less cold. I never developed chilblains again. Two other problems appeared, however: my nosebleeds became more frequent, sometimes four or five times a month, and my weight rose from 120 jin in my first year to 160 jin in my final year.

Of course, the main causes of the weight gain were lack of exercise and excessive calorie intake. Let us set those aside for now and focus on the climate factor.

At the end of last year, I went to Guangdong, and all the problems above improved to different degrees. The rhinitis disappeared, the nosebleeds became less frequent, I lost weight, and my waist became smaller. At the time, though, I did not pay particular attention to these changes.

Only when I returned to Sichuan for this year’s Spring Festival did I notice the enormous difference. Within two days of arriving, my eyes were itchy, my throat hurt, and I kept coughing and rubbing my eyes. I also had nosebleeds almost every day, to the point that I had to go to hospital.

The doctor listened to my account, took one look at me, and said I had allergic rhinitis. She said there were many such patients in that season, most with pollen allergies. Left untreated, it would not improve naturally until May. She prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and antihistamines. They did help, but only relieved the symptoms. A few days later, I took the medicine with me to Shenzhen. To my surprise, as soon as I arrived in Guangdong, the rhinitis went away on its own, and I never used those medicines again. Only then did I truly realize how significantly climate affects the body.

From late October last year until April this year, I spent most of my time in Dongguan and Shenzhen, experiencing Lingnan’s more comfortable winter half of the year. In late April, I arrived in Kuala Lumpur. It was my first trip abroad and my first experience of a tropical rainforest climate. Kuala Lumpur has almost no seasonal variation: it is hot and rainy all year, with daily temperatures fluctuating roughly within the 28–33°C range. It rains about once every two days, usually in the afternoon or evening. These are typical convectional showers and generally do not last very long. The wind and rain bring coolness, so Kuala Lumpur generally feels very comfortable.

After arriving in Kuala Lumpur, my body remained much as it had been in Guangdong, and my weight stabilized at around 151 jin. Perhaps people’s appetites unconsciously decline when they move to the tropics.

The only problem now is that I have noticed my beard growing faster. A friend said that metabolism speeds up in the tropics, making beards and nails grow faster and shortening people’s lives. Perhaps every year spent in the tropics costs a few days of life. However, Singapore has almost the same climate as Kuala Lumpur, yet its average life expectancy exceeds 80 and ranks among the world’s top five. This suggests that high temperatures do not carry such great weight in determining lifespan.

Overall, I adapt best to the climates of Lingnan and Kuala Lumpur, followed by Beijing, with Zhejiang and Sichuan suiting me least. Everyone’s circumstances differ, and so does the climate that suits them. A suitable climate can improve both physical and mental well-being. When traveling for work or leisure, you can pay attention to this factor.