China’s “24 solar terms” were added to UNESCO’s world intangible cultural heritage list during the 11th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritages meeting.
China’s ‘24 solar terms’ represent a knowledge system and social practice formed through observations of the sun’s annual motion, as well as the deep understanding of the year’s changes in season, climate and phenology. The ‘24 solar terms’ guide traditional agricultural production and daily life. They are an important part of the traditional Chinese calendar system and its related practical activities. In the international meteorological field, this time system is known as the “fifth of China’s great inventions”.