二十四节气

Why this place

The twenty-four solar terms divide the year into 24 periods of roughly fifteen days, each marking a stage in the agricultural and climatic cycle — the start of spring, the grain rains, the white dew, the great cold. They are a UNESCO-listed intangible heritage, and they still govern when to plant, what to eat and when to visit.

What to see

• The terms marked in the temple fairs and the seasonal food that goes with each
• Spring: the Qingming Festival, when families sweep graves and the countryside turns green
• Summer: the Dragon Boat Festival at the summer solstice, with river racing and zongzi
• Autumn: the Mid-Autumn Festival at the harvest moon, with mooncakes
• Winter: the winter solstice, marked with dumplings in the north and tangyuan in the south

What to eat

• Each term has its own food: spring pancakes at Lichun, zongzi at Duanwu, mooncakes at Mid-Autumn, dumplings at Dongzhi
• Seasonal produce is organised this way — 'the first batch of the year' is a genuine market category

How to plan

Any cultural trip overlaps several terms — check which festival falls in your travel window and plan around it.

Best time

Spring and autumn terms are the most visible in food and festivals

Practical tips

• If a major festival falls during your trip, expect transport to be fully booked and prices to rise — plan months ahead or avoid those weeks