What are the 24 Solar Terms
The 24 Solar Terms, a supplementary calendar established in ancient China, first appeared in the Han Dynasty. The current “24 Solar Terms” are based on the position of the sun on the return ecliptic, i.e. the annual movement of the sun is divided into 24 equal parts, with every 15° being one equal part, and every one equal part being a solar term, starting from the beginning of Li Chun and ending at the end of Da Han.
In traditional farming culture, the twenty-four solar terms occupy an extremely important position, through which the ancients can intuitively and clearly understand the changing patterns of the seasons and climate in a year, so as to master the agricultural time and reasonably arrange farming activities.
It not only played a guiding role in agricultural production, but also influenced the ancient people's clothing, food, housing and transportation, and even cultural concepts. The twenty-four solar terms are the product of long-term observation and research on astronomy and meteorology by ancient Chinese people, and they contain a long cultural connotation and historical accumulation of the Chinese nation.
After thousands of years of development, the ancients gradually formed many unique ways of life and conventions and habits based on certain solar terms, which slowly evolved into folk customs specific to the 24 solar terms, and some even gradually evolved into composite traditional festivals, which all carry the aspiration and love of the ancients for a better life.
However, with the development of social life and the change of ideology, some festive folk customs have been gradually simplified or even disappeared, turning into a faint historical mark. Nowadays, with the revival of traditional culture, these festive folk customs with high social value should also be taken seriously.
List of the 24 Solar Terms
| Chinese Name | Pin Yin | English Name | Gregorian Date | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 立春 | lì chūn | Beginning of Spring | Feb 4 | |||
| 雨水 | yǔ shuǐ | Rain Water | Feb 19 | |||
| 惊蛰 | jīng zhé | Awakening of Insects | Mar 6 | |||
| 春分 | chūn fēn | Spring Equinox | Mar 21 | |||
| 清明 | qīng míng | Pure Brightness | Apr 5 | |||
| 谷雨 | gǔ yǔ | Grain Rain | Apr 20 | |||
| 立夏 | lì xià | Beginning of Summer | May 6 | |||
| 小满 | xiǎo mǎn | Grain Buds | May 21 | |||
| 芒种 | máng zhòng | Grain in Ear | Jun 6 | |||
| 夏至 | xià zhì | Summer Solstice | Jun 21 | |||
| 小暑 | xiǎo shǔ | Minor Heat | Jul 7 | |||
| 大暑 | dà shǔ | Major heat | Jul 23 | |||
| 立秋 | lì qiū | Beginning of Autumn | Aug 8 | |||
| 处暑 | chǔ shǔ | End of Heat | Aug 23 | |||
| 白露 | bái lù | White Dew | Sep 8 | |||
| 秋分 | qiū fēn | Autumn Equinox | Sep 23 | |||
| 寒露 | hán lù | Cold Dew | Oct 8 | |||
| 霜降 | shuāng jiàng | Frost's Descent | Oct 23 | |||
| 立冬 | lì dōng | Beginning of Winter | Nov 7 | |||
| 小雪 | xiǎo xuě | Minor Snow | Nov 22 | |||
| 大雪 | dà xuě | Major Snow | Dec 7 | |||
| 冬至 | dōng zhì | Winter Solstice | Dec 22 | |||
| 小寒 | xiǎo hán | Minor Cold | Jan 6 | |||
| 大寒 | dà hán | Major Cold | Jan 20 |
Program of the 24 Solar Terms
Spring Equinox (Chun Fen, 春分)
Henan TV – The Adventures in Spring Equinox
“The Adventures in Spring Equinox 2022 (春分奇遇记)” is the first episode of the “Chinese Solar Terms” series produced by Henan TV, which starts on the evening of March 19, 2022, and takes viewers on a journey full of unique Chinese sentiments.
Liu An, the king of Huainan in the Western Han Dynasty, who was the first to record the twenty-four solar terms, time travel to the present day and meet with a young boy, Liu Yidan, to complete a scientific experiment of “eggshell hot air balloon”. The creative team also hopes to convey the spiritual emotion of “resolute hope and chasing dreams” through this episode.
Zhejiang TV – A Tale of Chinese Solar Term
“Spring Equinox” is the first chapter of the series of “A Tale of Chinese Solar Term”, a seasonal gala launched by Zhejiang TV.
The gala follows the balanced way of spring equinox, with natural realistic scenery as the background and technological innovation as the highlight, re-telling the tradition through a modern way and presenting it on the screen in a natural and realistic way. The gala premieres on Sunday night, March 20, 2022 on Zhejiang TV.
Pure Brightness (Qingming, 清明)
Henan TV – Adventures on Qingming Festival 2022
“Adventures on Qingming Festival 2022” is a party for the Qingming Festival produced by Henan TV, which started on the evening of April 4, 2022. Directed by Chen Jia, the show features Li Yugang, Zhao Rang, Xu Jiaqi, and Landlord's Cat.
The program is based on the scenes in the “Xi Yuan Ya Ji Tu (西园雅集图)”, and is linked by the stories of Su Dongpo, Su Zhe, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, Qin Guan, Li Qingzhao, Lu You, Xin Qiji, combining songs, dances, operas and other programs to reproduce the spring gathering activities of the literati of the Song Dynasty.
Adventures on Qingming Festival continues the technique of live-action filming + technical special effects, and adopts the unique technique of one step by one scene in Chinese oriental gardens to combine the storyline with the program modules, integrating them into the scenery with typical seasonal characteristics and returning to the simple emotions of human and nature.
Grain Rain (Gu Yu, 谷雨)
Henan TV – The Adventures of Grain Rain 2022
The second episode of the series “Chinese Solar Terms”, The Adventures of Grain Rain, was broadcast on Henan TV on April 20, 2022. Actors Tong Meng Shi and Chen Du Ling participate in the series, give us a warm, throbbing story that takes place in a tea garden.
The male protagonist named Lu Yu, is an advertising director, in the tea garden to shoot a short film about “the good life”, but he suddenly unable to see the color due to the pressure of work.
Guided by a tea leaf, Lu Yu mistakenly enters the secret world of the tea garden and meets a mysterious and passionate girl named Ye Jia, thus starting a journey to the strange fate of the tea garden.
In the tea garden mystery journey, Lu Yu led by Ye Jia, to appreciate the natural beauty of the Grain Rain season, but also gradually perceive the true meaning of a good life.
Beginning of Summer (Li Xia, 立夏)
Henan TV – The Adventures Of Summer Begins
“The Adventures Of Summer Begins” is the third episode of the “Chinese Solar Terms” series. It tells a story with a completely different background and style from the previous two episodes. Through two “dream travels”, it shows the young people who ran and even sacrificed their lives to save the country and the people a hundred years ago.
“Expressing the thinking about the value of life, and hoping to let the audience draw the strength of growth from it.”
The program invites actors Jin Han, Pax Congo, Wang Jinsong, and Gao Dongping to participate in, sublimating the characteristics of the Beginning of Summer, when “everything grows up”, to the expression of the human heart and emotions from growth to maturity.
More programs about traditional Chinese culture:
