How does traditional Chinese wisdom connect to the winter melon pet trend?

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Traditional Chinese wisdom is linked to the winter melon pet trend through a proverb about using winter melon when the body feels hot.
The winter melon “cooling companion” trend for cats on Chinese social media is described as having roots in traditional Chinese folk wisdom. An old saying, “心头热，揽冬瓜”, translates to a belief that when someone feels hot in the head or chest, they should hug or hold a winter melon.
The proverb provides the cultural origin for “hugging” a winter melon
The connection starts with the traditional phrase “心头热，揽冬瓜”, which frames winter melon as something to hold when a person feels hot. In the modern trend, cats are shown lounging, napping, and even “riding” on winter melons, echoing the idea of embracing the gourd for cooling comfort.
A new generation revived the old advice into a social media habit
The tradition is described as advice from grandparents’ era that was later rediscovered and continued by younger people. Social media posts about cats “sleeping while hugging a winter melon” have spread widely, including hashtag activity on multiple platforms and large attention on Xiaohongshu.
The folk idea aligns with practical reasons people noticed about winter melons
The trend is also tied to the way winter melons feel and perform physically, which helped it catch on. Winter melons are described as having nearly 95 per cent water content, with skin temperature typically 3 to 5 degrees Celsius lower than room temperature, making them feel like a natural cooling pack against the body.
The proverb’s “comfort” theme feeds into the viral pet-cooling framing
As the custom returned in a cat-focused form, it became part of a broader pattern of low-cost “healing” pleasures that deliver emotional comfort. Pet owners highlighted that winter melons are inexpensive compared with pet cooling mats, while the cats’ willingness to lie on them helped reinforce the original folk-style idea of using winter melon when things feel hot.

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How does traditional Chinese wisdom connect to the winter melon pet trend?

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