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> Originally developed in China to feed millions, Chinese greenhouses are earth-sheltered, solar-heated, east-west oriented, intelligently glazed, and well-insulated. They have proven highly effective in growing warm-weather vegetables and fruits like green peppers and tomatoes in cold climates through fall, winter, and early spring using passive solar energy as the sole heat source.

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Two key things are that Northern China is relatively South (compared to Europe) and that it tends to be sunny in winter.

This means you get plenty of sunlight and it is still strong enough to be warming.

So these greenhouses don't work that well in, say, the UK where winters, while not as cold as Northern Chinese ones, are very gloomy.

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