Keystone Magazine Keystone Magazine 5th EN | Page 69

About two and half millennia ago, Laozi professed that Tao (the Way) characterized the epitome
of greatness with deep roots in the laws of nature. The laws of nature bind human beings, and
all other living things alike. This intrinsic value is deeply rooted in the culture and philosophy of
the East. The ancient Chinese lived in sync with the changing seasons and formed the system of
24 solar terms and 72 pentads (five-day intervals), and arranged their lives on the basis of these
shifts in nature, and farming on celestial movements and events. Moreover, the literati throughout
Chinese history not only have sought inspiration from nature, but have also given nature extremely
rich cultural connotations, aiming to distill an ideal value system from the essence of nature.
As Tao Yuanming, a renowned Chinese poet in the fourth century, wrote in his verses, “with the
changing of seasons, warm and beautiful mornings are upon us again,” and “all the living things
thrive by observing the laws of nature,” the harmony and coexistence between human beings
and nature and all its rules and changes can easily be found in Chinese literature and paintings.
Traditional Chinese culture believes that “there are emotions and values in every living thing.” “Have
contemporary China forgotten this way of life?” wonders Professor Dong Mei from China Central
Academy of Fine Arts. On 23 September 2016, she led an audience through an exploration of the
rich ancient Chinese tradition, as part of the first Education Salon Series season of the academic
year 2016-2017. In this column we share a translated version of her salon presentation.
A
quote from the Preface to the Poems
Composed at the Orchid Pavilion
by the master calligrapher Wang
Xizhi reads “Hanging high is the immense
universe. Around us is a myriad variety.” These
compelling words help readers to visualize
themselves in the context of the universe. It
brings to mind the Chinese phrase “yang guan
fu cha (looking up and down to observe),”
which aptly captures the essence of the
cultural connotation of Wang’s words. While
his Preface was written in 353 CE, the origin
of the quote can be traced to one of the most
ancient Chinese philosophy masterpieces, I
Ching. The original text, which believes that
people should “look up to observe the changes
in the sky, and look down to learn the workings
of the Earth” was also where the Chinese
words for astronomy (tianwen) and geography
(dili) were derived from. More importantly,
the quote stresses the links between humanity
and nature. By putting ourselves in the context
of heavens above and Earth below, we were
able to observe the world around us and find
our place, thus grasping our own cultural
heritage. Chinese philosophy is rooted in this
fundamental notion that humanity lives in
harmony with, and as a part of nature. The Tao
of humanity lies in the Tao of the seasons and
in all things and creatures that exist between
heaven and Earth.
unique combination of the solar and the
lunar calendars. To complement the lunar
calendar formulated based on the changes of
the moon, the ancient Chinese observed the
changes in the sun that drove the rhythms
followed in agriculture and farming. This set
the 24 solar terms. Though the traditional
l u nar c a l en dar an d solar ter ms were
abandoned from the official state calendar
with the adoption of the Gregorian one
following the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, the
use of the solar terms along with 72 pentads
constitute a Chinese solar calendar that has
been in use since the ancient times.
There is evidence in Chinese literature too
that alludes to the traditional uniqueness that
combines the lunar and solar calendars, such
as this popular quote from a Tang-period
poem, “flowers remain the same year after year
while people change year by year.” The phrase
“year after year,” translates to sui sui nian nian
in Chinese. This is relevant because sui is in
reference to the sun, and nian in reference to
the moon. In Chinese literature, such phrases
are a significant reminder of the marriage of the
solar and lunar traditions. However, the lunar
and solar systems are different. According the
waxing and waning of the moon, the first day
of the month in the lunar calendar is termed
shuo (new moon), the fifteenth day is referred
to as wang (full moon), and the sixteenth day
24 Solar Terms in Calendars, is ji wang (close to full moon). Meanwhile
Charts, and Culture
in the solar terms, dong zhi (winter solstice)
Much of this way of life is guided by a marks the starting point of the year. In the later
Chinese periods such as the Qing dynasty,
dong zhi was referred to as sui shi (turn of the
year). In contemporary China, the character
for sui is still used to mark a person’s age or the
turn of a person’s year.
The winter solstice also has deep roots in
Chinese philosophy. “A full container of water
will spill, and a full moon will start to wane,”
states I Ching. This is in reference to the beauty
and import of dong zhi. As a day that is marked
by the longest night and shortest day, it is also
one that marks the beginning of a new period
because then the days get longer and nights
shorter. So, on the darkest day of the year, we
look forward to the bright sunlight because
following winter solstice, the day starts to get
longer. It is believed that the winter solstice is
as important as the Chinese New Year because
it is the beginning of the wait for spring – a
time cherished by most.
But the wait can be long. To make the long
dark winter nights more interesting, a chart
of pastime was created – jiu jiu xiao han tu,
or the Chart to Pass the Cold. The chart
covered a period of 81 days that ended in the
blossoming of spring. Tradition prescribed
many activities to pass the long winter
nights, the most common being painting and
calligraphy. In the Ming dynasty, painting
was preferred, and calligraphy in the Qing
dynasty. Painting may have involved drawing
a branch with nine spring blossoms, each
blossom with nine hollow petals. This would
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