Yesterday, on the 23rd, marked the final solar term of autumn, known as Frost’s Descent. This signals the transition from autumn to winter. After Frost’s Descent, the weather begins to cool down significantly, and we enter a period with the most considerable temperature fluctuations of the year between day and night. How does this period affect agricultural activities? The saying “the biggest worry is a clear sky after Frost’s Descent” is well-known – but how did such agricultural proverbs come to be? We spoke with an expert to find out more.
The expert explained that the twenty-four solar terms serve as an important framework for recording seasonal changes, dividing the sun’s annual trajectory into 24 segments to help guide people’s production and daily lives. In different regions, local residents have combined various solar terms with agricultural activities to develop regionally distinctive proverbs.
Zhang Yongxun, an associate researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted, “The twenty-four solar terms originated from ancient observations of agricultural production and climate changes in the Yellow River basin. Agricultural proverbs related to these solar terms are highly regional and aren’t universally applicable across the country.”
As Frost’s Descent unfolds, autumn harvesting and planting are accelerating nationwide. The expert emphasized the importance of closely monitoring climate changes after Frost’s Descent to ensure agricultural activities are not adversely affected.
Zhang added, “In different areas, Frost’s Descent is closely related to agriculture. In the north, farmers must seize the opportunity to plant on time because the light and heat resources are not as abundant as in the south. If they plant too late, there might not be enough warmth. In the south, the focus is more on rushing to harvest rice, which takes a bit longer.”
