Grain Rain

Introduction

Rain that nurtures the grain: the last term of spring

Grain Rain is the last solar term of spring, beginning when the sun reaches 30° of ecliptic longitude, around 19–21 April; its name means rain that brings forth the grain. Warming quickens and rainfall increases. Its three pentads are duckweed beginning to grow, cuckoos preening their feathers, and hoopoes alighting on mulberry trees. Rain and sunshine favour the sowing and growth of rice, maize and cotton, while the north still guards against spring drought and dust; customs include drinking Grain Rain tea, eating toon shoots, viewing peonies and honouring Cangjie.

Timeline

1. 139 BCEOriginThe Western Han Huainanzi (Tianwen xun, c. 139 BCE) sets out the twenty-four terms by the pointing of the Dipper's handle, recording 'fifteen days on, it points to chen: Grain Rain', the earliest systematic attestation of Grain Rain.
2. 104 BCEEvolutionWith the Taichu calendar of 104 BCE under Emperor Wu of Han, the twenty-four solar terms entered the official calendar, and Grain Rain became a fixed term in it.
3. 1645EvolutionIn 1645 the Qing Shixian calendar replaced equal time division with the true-longitude rule, fixing Grain Rain at the moment the sun reaches 30° of ecliptic longitude, as it still is today.

Heritage Listings

1. 2006National List of Representative Items of Intangible Cultural Heritage1st batch · X-68 Twenty-Four Solar Terms of the Lunar Calendar · nominated by the China Agricultural Museum · collective item
2. 2016UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of HumanityThe Twenty-Four Solar Terms · knowledge in China of time and practices developed through observation of the sun's annual motion · collective inscription