Today is the Guyu solar term, which is the sixth of the 24 solar terms and the last solar term of spring.
Guyu is taken from the meaning of "rain gives birth to a hundred grains", and the continuous spring rain is the main feature of Guyu. At this time, the precipitation increases significantly, and the seedlings in the field are planted at the beginning and the crops are newly planted, which needs the most to be moistened by rainfall, and the rainfall is sufficient and timely, and the cereal crops can thrive. Guyu, like the solar terms such as rain, small man, light snow, and heavy snow, is a solar term that reflects the phenomenon of precipitation.
It is recorded in the "Seventy-two Candidate Explanations of the Lunar Order": "In the middle of March, since the rain, the soil paste pulsates, and now it rains again and its valley is in the water. The rain is read as a sound, like the rain of my field. Cover the grain at this time to sow the seeds, from top to bottom also. Therefore, Gu Yu is a reflection of the ancient farming culture on the season.
Gu Yu has three waitings: "the first is the beginning of the Ping, the second is the singing dove brushing its feathers, and the third is the hoopoe descending to the mulberry." "It's duckweed that starts to grow, cuckoos that remind people of planting, hoopoes that start to land on mulberry trees. There is a coincidence here, there is no source, it is purely a family statement, for everyone's amusement. The cuckoo is named cuckoo because of its call "cuckoo". However, the word "cloth" has the meaning of announcing and spreading, can it be understood as "announcing the beginning of sowing grain"? This coincidence that the triple meaning of "shouting" and "literally" and "sowing season" coincides is indeed somewhat interesting.
Folk have customs such as picking grain rain tea, appreciating peonies, walking valley rain, sacrificing to the sea, eating spring, and sacrificing Cangjie in the Guyu solar term.
The reverse pattern of the 24 solar terms (the story of time) gold and silver commemorative coins and the 8-gram square silver commemorative coin (Gu Yu) depicts the picture of appreciating peonies during the rainy season. The main design elements of the picture are adult tigers, juvenile tigers and peonies, showing the custom of "appreciating peonies" in the rainy season, and the words "Gu Yu" and the denomination are published. The composition of the coin surface is not complicated, next to a blooming peony, two little cuties play leisurely, although there is no scene on the back, but the warm family affection, graceful and luxurious national flower, lined with spring, the flowers are thick, a picture of the rain in the south of the Yangtze River jumped on the coin.
"Appreciating peonies" is one of the most important folk activities of the Guyu solar term. Peony graceful and luxurious, the country color is fragrant, symbolizing the Chinese nation's strong bones, upright and gentle character, because three days after the valley rain, it is the peony blooming period, so the peony is also called "valley rain flower". Since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, there is a custom of "appreciating peonies in the rainy season in the valley" in the south of the Yangtze River, and Tang Yin praised in "Song of Peony": "Before and after the flowers bloom and the valley rains, the color is unique among the flowers." "The peony on the coin, with the moire as the petal, is stacked and blooming, graceful and luxurious, and it is more magnificent and gorgeous in addition to auspiciousness.
Adult tiger and juvenile tiger seem to be climbing high and looking into the distance, admiring the flowers of tourists, juvenile tiger in the high place cheerfully greeting adult tiger, adult tiger eyes full of love looking up at it, looking at each other, together with the scene of flower appreciation, conveying the warm family affection, and in the expression of emotion, but also embodies the natural childlike fun, and the valley rain season people in the busy sowing of seeds, go out to enjoy the flowers, feel the freehand of the last spring scene of the year.
The craftsmanship of this commemorative coin is also a highlight, with a mirrored underside on the back, multi-level sandblasting, light-changing scales and color spraying for the main pattern, and sandblasting for the theme text and denomination. In particular, the light-changing scale color process presents colorful artistic effects under different light and shadow. The surface of the coin presents a decorative beauty, with fresh green, jumping red, sparkling orange, etc., and the leap of color and light and shadow is more innocent in the simplicity and clarity.