Tag: Ancient Chinese

    The ladle was a daily utensil used by ancient Chinese to feed the horses; usually the round shaped was for scooping water, while the rectangular shaped for getting feedstuff. To prevent their livestock from the injury of natural pest/disease and ensure their safe and peaceful life, the forefathers painted gods or amulets on the ladles, so the masks were the beautiful wishes for peaceful and happy life of ancient Chinese.

Feng Shui（风水, Fēng Shuǐ） is an ancient Chinese science originating from over 3000 years ago. At the beginning it was called Kan Yu（堪舆, Kān Yú） , denoting the monitoring of the activities of the forces between the Heaven and Earth, but ever since Qing dynasty the term Feng Shui has prevailed.

Winter Solstice is the 22nd solar term, and the most important one. It was set according to astronomy, called “short day (ri duan)” or “the shortest day” in ancient times. On that day, the sun reaches 270 degrees of longitude, and shines directly on the Tropic of Capricorn. The day time turns shortest on that day. The ancient people recorded their knowledge of the day in some books. In the Collection of the Seventy-two Hou, it says, “on the 15th day of the Eleventh month, the hidden qi reaches its peak.” “The Winter Solstice comes on the fifteenth day after the Major Snow. It is in the middle of the eleventh month. The yin goes comes to an end and the yang begins. The sun goes to the south. From then on, the days become longer.” (Tong Wei of Qing Dynasty)

On the Winter Solstice, the Northern hemisphere experiences its shortest day and its longest night. From then on, the days become longer and the nights become shorter. According to ancient Chinese thought, the “yang,” referring to masculine or positive things, will become stronger and stronger after this day. The weather in China will also enter its coldest phase.

On the Chinese lunar calendar, “Autumn Equinox（秋分 Qiū fēn） ” is the beginning of autumn and this day is just at the middle point between “ Autumn Begins（秋至 Qiūzhì ） ” to “ Hoar-Frost Falls（霜降 Shuāngjiàng ） ”. After “Autumn Equinox”, the temperature decreases obviously, just like the old proverbs among the farmers, “ Each autumn rain makes it’s colder（一阵秋雨一阵寒 Y ízhèn qiūyǔ y ízhèn hán ） ”, “ The night of White Dews and Autumn Equinox, one night is colder than the one before（白露秋分夜，一夜冷一夜 Báilù qiū fēn yè, y íyè lěng y íyè ） ”. It arrives on September 22 to September 23 each year when the sun reaches the celestial longitude of 180 degrees. As said in the ancient Chinese books, “the Autumn Equinox” shows the Yin Qi（阴气 Yīnqì ） and Yang Qi（阳气Y ángqì ） are half and half on this day”. This means the day and night are balanced and the heat and the cold are even. There is no polar day or polar night happening on this day on every corner of the world. In some part of the north-east China, it’s not strange to see frost at this time. The differences between the temperature in the morning and in the night are increasing, to more than 10 degree Celsius. The amount of rainfall decreases and it’s getting drier and drier in the air.