Book of Time: Yu Shicun on the 24 Solar Terms
On November 30, 2016, China’s 24 Solar Terms, a knowledge system to measure time developed by Chinese ancestors upon observations of solar movement, was included on the 2016 Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, becoming the 39th item of Chinese heritage to make the list.
The ancient Chinese divided the sun’s annual movement into 24 equal parts, with the spring equinox, the autumn equinox, the winter solstice, and the summer solstice each dividing solar terms. The earliest complete record of the system was found in the Writings of Prince Huainan published during the Han Dynasty (202-220 B.C.). The system still influences Chinese thinking and behavior.
Yu Shicun’s Book of Time is a comprehensive guide to China’s culture of solar terms, illuminating it from unique angles. Yu applies the 24 Solar Terms to fields including astronomy, climate, agriculture, healthcare, aesthetics and philosophy as well as from perspectives of Chinese history, customs, and survival methods.
The author interprets the Chinese philosophy of time: Not only do solar terms relate to agriculture and health, but they inspire feelings and transmit knowledge on life, nature, and the universe. By focusing on the relationship between nature and man across these terms, the author argues that these ancient schemes are still at work today.
Yu Shicun, an outstanding Chinese writer and poet, is considered “one of the greatest thinkers of modern China” with highly influential philosophies, a strong sense of historical mission, and the temperament of an intellectual. His major works include Trilogy of Man, Uncommon Sense: Discourse of China 1840-1999, and Big Time: Rediscovery of the Book of Changes.
The book features illustrations by Lao Shu, also known as Liu Shuyong, an eminent Chinese scholar and painter who serves as a professor at the School of Culture and Communication under the Central University of Finance and Economics as well as a critic of visual culture.
The Slight Cold, the 23rd of China’s 24 Solar Terms, falls on January 5 or 6 every year and marks the coldest days of the year.
The Spring Equinox, the fourth of China’s 24 Solar Terms, falls around March 20 every year. It is the central point of division of the 90 days of the spring, when day and night are equally long in the northern and southern hemispheres.
The Great Snow, the 21st of China’s 24 Solar Terms, falls around December 7 every year. It becomes colder during the period, with an increased possibility of snow.
The Winter Solstice, the 22nd of China’s 24 Solar Terms, falls between December 21 and 23 every year. Astronomically, it marks the start of winter in the northern hemisphere.
The Great Cold, the last of China’s 24 Solar Terms, falls around January 20 every year, the last final stretch of the lunar calendar, ready to herald spring’s arrival.