Every year during the Lesser Snow, Great Snow, Lesser Cold and Great Cold, the Yellow River Basin is gripped by a wintry chill, its atmosphere austere and lifeless, in accord with the Solar Terms. At the same time in Taiwan, however, there is at most a little frost in the plains. In southern Taiwan people even go about in short-sleeved shirts, while birds sing and flowers bloom.
"If the Commencement of Spring is a clear day, the whole spring will be sunny."
"If thunder claps before the Awakening of Insects, the clouds won't break for 49 days."
"If it doesn't rain during the Lesser Heat, the grains will wither during the Great Heat."
"If there's no rain during the White Dew, there will be no frost for 100 days."
Mainland Solar Terms and Taiwan weather
Since long ago, Solar Terms have been the foundation for weather forecasting in China. The more than 2000 meteorological proverbs related to Solar Terms in China are all predictions for the climatic conditions and harvests based on the weather before and after every Solar Term.
Those proverbs are widely familiar, and everyone can quote a few off the top of their head. Unfortunately, Solar Terms are nothing more than several dates based on astronomical phenomena. The earth's revolution around the sun is closely linked to the changes of climate and nature, but not exactly equal. After all, what influences climates and ecologies is more than just the sun. Such factors as latitude, topography and altitude will all have an effect. Astronomy and meteorology are two different specializations in modern times. But the ancient Chinese viewed meteorology through the lenses of astronomy, and minute errors could at times have huge ramifications.
Small wonder that the ancient Chinese, who relied on the heavens for their sustenance, were so eager to learn tomorrow's precipitation and temperature. They had no meteorological observatories nor satellite cloud photography, but they needed to decide how they would proceed with their cultivation. Thousands of years later, with state-of-the-art instruments and agricultural technology, does Taiwan still need those stale old Solar Terms? Meteorologists and farmers are polarized on the issue.
"The Solar Terms are not coordinated for use in Taiwan!" says Professor Wu Ming-chin of the National Taiwan University Atmospheric Sciences Institute. The Solar Terms are a form of phenology--for every geographical region there will be a different manifestation. To use one set of Solar Terms throughout the whole of China is not feasible.
Setting aside other factors, just look at the rainy season in early summer when plums are ripening (commonly known as the "plum rains"). The plum rains are caused by the movement of a high-pressure warm air mass in the Pacific Ocean every year. Lingering to the south of Taiwan, it forms a front over the island, and rain falls incessantly. Only when the high pressure front moves over Taiwan will Taiwan's weather turn clear and bright, what is described as "the plum rains ebb." At the same time the plum rains "ebb" in Taiwan, they are still "flowing" over the Yangtze River Basin on the mainland. Following the same logic, when the plum rains "ebb" along the Yangtze River Basin, they are just beginning to "flow" along the Yellow River Basin.
Precipitation behaves in such a manner. Thunder, lightning, wind, snow and frost are all different in different places. The conditions of air masses are extremely unstable. For example, in Taiwan the plum rains usually arrive in early May, but sometimes they saunter in at the end of May. Thus, with only a slight deviation, they can be off by an entire Solar Term (15 days).
"In terms of meteorological significance, Solar Terms can at most indicate 'the most probable period of sunlight,'" states Wu Ming-chin. If the weather is favorable, planting according to the Solar Terms will yield the most abundant harvest.
Luckily, the Solar Terms are still quite popular among farmers, who are not accustomed to calculating so precisely. In particular, the classical Chinese explanations that accompany the Solar Terms have long since become disconnected from their practical usage. No wonder all this eloquent terminology can leave so much space for many different interpretations. Every province must adjust its practices according to local conditions, and the same proverb may be endowed with more than one meaning.
A variety of editions
"The Solar Terms are very appropriate for use in Taiwan. They are a great help to the farmers of Taiwan," says Miaoli County Agricultural Society Extension Education Class Coordinator Yeh Ah-deh. When he remarks on the Solar Terms, even the tone of his voice resonates certainty.
He offers one example of how a term can be applied in a manner completely different from the original intention, yet remains aptly memorable. The Solar Term "Little Fullness," which comes at the end of May, originally referred to winter wheat, which is planted in winter and harvested in summer. When "Little Fullness" arrives, winter wheat has just started to look plump and healthy. But southern China does not cultivate the kind of wheat that is harvested in summer. So the meaning of "Little Fullness" can be interpreted any number of different ways. In Taiwan the Little Fullness occurs just at the height of the plum rains. In this case, "Little Fullness means that rain water fills the rice paddies and brims over the edges of the fields," explains Yeh.
Similar examples are plentiful. The "Awakening of Insects" originally drew attention to spring thunderstorms, which roused hibernating insects. But in Taiwan the spring thunderstorms occur earlier, so the timing is a bit off. Nonetheless, around the time of the "Awakening of Insects" houseflies come out in great multitudes, flying helter-skelter all over the place, and so the term remains meaningful.
Furthermore, the "Bounds of Heat," which follows the Commencement of Fall, originally indicated that in northern China the heat was "latently stifled and diminished" after the Commencement of Fall. But in fact this period in Taiwan is oppressively hot, what is commonly termed the "autumn tiger." Still, some people interpret Bounds of Heat to mean, "Although fall has arrived, the weather is bound up in heat." It may stay hot for another ten days or half a month.
The meteorological meaning of Solar Terms varies from place to place. Farming customs have therefore evolved into many different "editions." In northern Taiwan all the old farmers can recite the saying "Before the Awakening of Insects, don't plant rice seedlings." This is because the weather around the Awakening of Insects is just beginning to warm up but can still be a little chilly. If the first crop of seedlings is frozen by a late cold spell, then the farmers' labors will be left unrewarded. Similarly, in the latter half of July when the Great Heat has not yet passed, the water temperature in the rice paddies is still pretty high. In order to prevent the seedlings' being burnt to death, the second crop had better not be planted too early.
However, once the Great Heat passes, autumn will have arrived. The sunshine is on the decline. This is not beneficial to the second crop of rice, which will not ripen until the end of November. So on the other hand the farmers should quickly plant the seedlings. Chang Hsueh-kun, director of the Taoyuan District Agricultural Improvement Station, says that according to his many years of experience, after July 25, every day that planting seedlings is delayed will delay maturation by a day, and the yield might be reduced. So all the seedlings should be in the ground by the end of July at the latest. Nevertheless, due to the fact that farmers are used to referring to the almanac, the proverb "Quicken planting seedlings after the Great Heat" is easier to understand and remember than the exact calendar dates.
Solar Terms no rival for economics
In northern Taiwan farmers are more sensitive about the weather. In southern Taiwan's Pingtung County, the concept of Solar Terms is less developed. "If you go down south to have a look, you will find that during the same period of time, some folks are planting the seedlings, and in some other places some rice paddies are already bearing grain, but some people are still clearing off the land before planting. At any rate, the weather during all four seasons is equally hot. They seldom have the problem of insufficient sunshine.
More fundamental changes are taking place, under the influence of the modern concept that human determination can exceed heaven's will. Scheduling one's life in accordance with the rhythms of nature has fallen out of fashion. A host of new developments has greatly altered the appearance of modern agriculture. Various new crop species have been bred that can stand cold and resist heat or can yield both an early or a late harvest. New equipment, such as greenhouses and air-conditioned buildings, have become common, as has the concept of rotating harvests according to market demand.
"If everyone plants at the same time and brings their crops to the market at the same time, it will result in a glut. The prices will plummet," says Yeh Ah-deh. For example, wax apples used to appear only in summertime. But the new species "black pearl," produced in Pingtung during the winter, is limited in quantity and high in price, and it outshines the others in the market. The well-known sanwan pear has also caused a mad rush among fruit buyers. The farmers spray the pears with a defoliant that makes the leaves fall off, which causes the fruitlets to grow precociously. Therefore the whole harvest is moved up by one or two months.
Cultivating according to nature doesn't turn a profit. Running counter to nature's rhythm is the going trend. And this may be sad news for those with a nostalgia for antiquity.
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These days, the results of artificial sunlight are no worse than the original, and the notion of producing crops in season has gradually diminished. (Sinorama file photo)
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