Just now, the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was held at the National Stadium! The whole festival begins with the twenty-four solar terms as a prelude, starting from "rain", counting down all the way, and finally reaching "Lichun".
So, at the opening ceremony, what are the twenty-four solar terms presented with a beautiful visual design and rich cultural connotations?
The 24 solar terms are the knowledge system and social practice formed by the ancient Chinese people by observing the annual movement of the sun and recognizing the changing laws of the seasons, climate, and phenology of the year.
According to historical research, the twenty-four solar terms originated in the Yellow River Basin. As far back as the Spring and Autumn Period, the ancients set four solar terms, such as mid-spring, mid-summer, mid-autumn and mid-winter. Later, through continuous improvement and perfection, by the Qin and Han dynasties, the twenty-four solar terms had been fully established. In 104 BC, the Taichu Calendar officially set the twenty-four solar terms in the calendar, clarifying the astronomical position of the twenty-four solar terms.
Most of the twenty-four solar terms are not about the operation of the sun, but about the "phenological" state. Since the phenology changes due to changes in cold and warmth, it is always related to the annual movement of the sun, so the twenty-four solar terms are calculated according to the annual visual movement of the sun on the ecliptic.
Based on the position of the sun on the ecliptic, the time of the twenty-four solar terms was accurately determined
The ecliptic circle is 360 degrees, and if the position of the sun in the ecliptic at the vernal equinox is 0 degrees, take a point every 15 degrees, just 24 points can be obtained. Where these 24 points are located. Theoretically, this is the position of the twenty-four solar terms. Every 15 days or so, the sun turns 15 degrees (in fact, the Earth rotates 15 degrees around the sun) to reach a solar term.
With the development of the times, the twenty-four solar terms have also been given more significance and cultural functions of the times. In addition to the reference significance of agricultural activities that are still combined with agricultural time, the twenty-four solar terms have been more closely and widely integrated into the fields of diet, health care, medical treatment, and characteristic tourism, and have more cultural connotations. Many solar terms are also traditional festivals in China and even in East Asia.
On 30 November 2016, the 11th ordinary session of unesco's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage approved The "24 Solar Terms" submitted by China for inscription on unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
According to the director's team, the "twenty-four solar terms" represent the reincarnation of time in a year, and also represent the way people get along with nature and the world, using it to count down and reflect Chinese's understanding of time. On the day of "Li Chun", the opening of the Winter Olympic Games also means that friends from all over the world are welcoming a new spring together. In addition, the Winter Olympics in Beijing are the 24th in the history of the Winter Olympics, which coincides with the twenty-four solar terms figure.
source:
Produced by The Meteorological Publicity and Science Popularization Center of China Meteorological Administration (China Meteorological News).
Hand-drawn: Chinese government website, China Meteorological Administration Meteorological Publicity and Science Popularization Center (China Meteorological News Agency)
Photo: CCTV, People's Daily Weibo
Edit: Shu Yang