The well-known ‘four great inventions of China’ are papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the navigational compass. They are celebrated as emblems of scientific and technological advancement in ancient China.
However, the inscription of the tradition of the 24 Chinese Solar Terms among UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage has added, albeit informally, one more item to this list of Chinese ‘great inventions’.
Chinese ‘solar terms’ are based on the division into 24 segments (of 15 degrees of longitude each) of the apparent movement of the Sun throughout the year on its path, known in astronomical terminology as the ecliptic.
This tradition has its origins in the observation of natural phenomena and rhythms in ancient China. It began to develop more than two millennia ago in regions around the Yellow River, although its application has gradually spread throughout the country.
Its content and immediate application have clear agricultural and meteorological connotations, but it is possible to speculate well beyond that.
Even today, this tradition is respected and followed in China and Chinese communities across the world.
Another significant aspect is the context which led UNESCO to include this tradition in the domain of ‘knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe’.
As can be read on the international institution’s website, ‘safeguarding a world view or system of beliefs is even more challenging than preserving a natural environment.’ In another passage, we read that ‘protecting the natural environment is often closely linked to safeguarding a community’s cosmology, as well as other examples of its intangible cultural heritage.’
DATES OF THE 24 SOLAR TERMS
Start Date Name (Degree of the ecliptic)
Feb 4 Lichun 立春 Beginning of Spring (315 degrees)
Feb 19 Yushui 雨水 Spring Showers (330 degrees)
Mar 6 Jingzhe 惊蛰 Wakening of Insects (345 degrees)
Mar 21 Chunfen 春分 Spring Equinox (0 degrees)
Apr 5 Qingming 清明 Bright and Clear (15 degrees)
Apr 20 Guyu 谷雨 Grain Rain (30 degrees)
May 6 Lixia 立夏 Beginning of Summer (45 degrees)
May 21 Xiaoman 小满 Grain Buds (60 degrees)
Jun 6 Mangzhong 芒种 Grain in Ear (75 degrees)
Jun 21 Xiazhi 夏至 Summer Solstice (90 degrees)
Jul 7 Xiaoshu 小暑 Moderate Heat (105 degrees)
Jul 23 Dashu 大暑 Great Heat (120 degrees)
Aug 8 Liqiu 立秋 Beginning of Autumn (135 degrees)
Aug 23 Chushu 处暑 End of Heat (150 degrees)
Sep 8 Bailu 白露 White Dew (165 degrees)
Sep 23 Qiufen 秋分 Autumn Equinox (180 degrees)
Oct 8 Hanlu 寒露 Cold Dew (195 degrees)
Oct 24 Shuangjiang 霜降 Frost’s Descent (210 degrees)
Nov 8 Lidong 立冬 Beginning of Winter (225 degrees)
Nov 22 Xiaoxue 小雪 Slight Snow (240 degrees)
Dec 7 Daxue 大雪 Great Snow (255 degrees)
Dec 22 Dongzhi 冬至 Winter Solstice (270 degrees)
Jan 6 Xiaohan 小寒 Slight Cold (285 degrees)
Jan 20 Dahan 大寒 Great Cold (300 degrees)
NOTE
This division of the ecliptic is not substantially different from the ancient division of the apparent movement of the Sun around the Earth through the year in Western tradition.
However, the Western Zodiac begins with the Spring Equinox (for the Northern Hemisphere) on approximately March 21st each year, which corresponds to the beginning of the zodiacal sign of Aries. The Chinese solar year, on the other hand, begins 45 days earlier with the beginning of the lichun 立春 solar term, around February 4th. That point, which corresponds to 315 degrees of the ecliptic, marks the beginning of the yin 寅 (Tiger) month of the Chinese solar year.
