The Curiosity of the Beginning of Spring

In Chinese， “l(fā)i” means “beginning，” and “chun” means “spring，” representing warmth and growth. Thus， “Li Chun，” the beginning of spring， marks the end of the dormant winter and the arrival of a warm and flourishing season， symbolizing the start of a new cycle. From this day onward， the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River in China experience the meteorological spring. In traditional beliefs， the beginning of spring carries auspicious meanings. However， due to the vast geographical span of China， for many of its regions， the beginning of spring is still a time of winter dormancy， and the true arrival of spring is yet to come. Therefore， “Li Chun” serves as a prelude to the spring season.

Legend of Origin

According to legend， in ancient times， the leader of the Dongyi tribe， Shaoxianshi， led his people to settle in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. He encouraged them to transition from nomadic to agriculture and appointed his son， Goumang， to oversee this endeavor. Just before the harsh winter passed， Goumang collected reed grass from the riverside and burned it to ashes. He placed the ashes in a bamboo tube and waited by its side. At the moment winter gave way to spring， and the yang energy rose， the grass ashes inside the bamboo tube began to float， signifying the arrival of spring. Goumang then ordered everyone to till the soil and prepare for sowing. The timely agricultural work resulted in good harvests， and those who had previously relied on animal husbandry gladly engaged in farming.

The concept of “Li Chun” as a seasonal marker existed as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. At that time， there were four seasons and eight solar terms， including Li Chun （the Beginning of Spring）， Li Xia （the Beginning of Summer）， Li Qiu （the Beginning of Autumn）， Li Dong （the Beginning of Winter）， Chun Fen （the Spring Equinox）， Qiu Fen （the Autumn Equinox）， Xia Zhi （the Summer Solstice）， and Dong Zhi （the Winter Solstice）. Since the Qin Dynasty， Li Chun has been regarded as the beginning of spring and designated as the Spring Festival， a tradition that has continued for over 2，000 years. It was in 1913 that the government of the Republic of China had officially designated the first day of the first lunar month as the Spring Festival.

Is there a difference between New Year’s Day， Spring Festival， and the Beginning of Spring？

New Year’s Day， known as “Yuan Dan” in Chinese， is the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar and falls on January 1st each year. In ancient China， the first day of various lunar months， such as the twelfth or tenth months， was celebrated as Yuan Dan. It was during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty that the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar was uniformly designated as Yuan Dan. In China， Yuan Dan is also called the “Solar New Year.” According to the Ci Hai dictionary， on September 27， 1949， the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference （CPPCC） in Beijing officially designated January 1st of the Gregorian calendar as “Yuan Dan.” It implemented both the internationally recognized Gregorian calendar and the traditional Chinese calendar. The character “旦” （Dan） is a pictogram representing the rising sun on the horizon， and when combined with the character “元” （Yuan）， it can be interpreted as the first day of the new year.

Spring Festival， also known as Chinese New Year， is the oldest and grandest traditional festival of the Chinese people. It is celebrated based on the lunar calendar and originated from the sacrificial activities held at the beginning and end of the year during the Yin and Shang dynasties， symbolizing bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year. Traditionally， the Chinese Spring Festival lasts from the Laba Festival （the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month） or the Kitchen God Festival （the twenty-third or twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month） to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month， with the most extravagant and lively celebrations taking place on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the lunar month.

The association between the Spring Festival and the Beginning of Spring is the strongest， as the Beginning of Spring mostly falls around the beginning or the end of the lunar year， which is close to the time of the Spring Festival. Prior to the Republic of China， the Spring Festival and the day of the Beginning of Spring were set to coincide. As the first of the twenty-four solar terms， the Beginning of Spring marked the arrival of spring and was regarded by ancient people as a time to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new.

What is the meaning of “Spring hits on the beginning of six-nine” and “Spring hits on the end of five-nine”？

“Spring hits on the beginning of six-nine; spring hits on the end of five-nine” is a traditional saying used by people in the past to predict the harvest of the coming year. There are many related sayings， such as “Spring hits on the beginning of six-nine， and the plow oxen fill the fields，” “Spring hits on the beginning of six-nine， and there are no worries about food and clothing，” “Spring hits on the end of five-nine， beggars’ legs are exhausted，” “Spring hits on the end of five-nine， every family feasts on pork legs.” However， from a scientific perspective， these sayings are not entirely reliable.

The day of the Beginning of Spring either falls on the last day of five-nine or the first day of six-nine. “Five-nine” and “six-nine” come from the concept of “counting the nine-nine coldest days.” Through long-term observation of weather changes from the Winter Solstice to the Beginning of Spring， ancient people created the tradition of “counting the nines” （starting from the Winter Solstice， counting every nine days until reaching “nine-nine”）. As the third solar term after the Winter Solstice， according to the calculation of one solar term every 15 days， the Beginning of Spring happens to be the 46th day after the Winter Solstice （including the day of the Winter Solstice） and the first day of the “six-nine” period （including the day of the Winter Solstice）， hence the saying “Spring hits on the beginning of the six-nine.” However， due to the simultaneous calculation of “counting the nines” in both the lunar and solar calendars， there can also be exceptions like the “Spring hits on the end of the five-nine，” as seen in consecutive years of 2011 and 2012 when the Beginning of Spring fell on the last day of the fifth nine-day period.

Deep Reading of the Twenty-four Solar Terms

Chief Editor： Tang Zhiqiang

Shandong Map Publishing House

July 2022

398.00 （CNY）

Tang Zhiqiang

Tang Zhiqiang is an authoritative expert in research on the 24 Solar Terms in China. He currently serves as the director of the Department of Agricultural History Research at the China Agricultural Museum， deputy director of the Research Center for the 24 Solar Terms.