The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms at the Soup House | Beginning of Spring
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2024-02-21
The fifth day of the twelfth lunar month
The Beginning of Spring marks the start of spring.
Spring means gentle breezes, warm sunshine, birdsong, and the fragrance of flowers.
Spring signifies the growth of all things, and farmers begin sowing.
All things are revived, brimming with vitality.
Historical Origins
The Beginning of Spring, the first of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms, is also known as the First Month Festival, the Year Festival, the Change of the Year, or the New Year’s Day. “Li” means “to begin,” and “Chun” signifies warmth and growth. In nature, the most striking feature of the Beginning of Spring is that all things begin to show signs of revival. As the start of all things and the renewal of everything, it heralds the opening of a new cycle.
Beginning of Spring marks the start of spring, signaling the arrival of the season. Although the weather remains chilly, the depths of winter have passed; spring returns to the land, all things revive, and nature bursts with vitality. For this reason, the ancients placed great importance on Beginning of Spring and traditionally held ceremonies to welcome the season. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms are a product of ancient agricultural civilization and occupy an exceptionally important place in China’s traditional agrarian society. Before the Qin and Han dynasties, customs and cultures varied across the north and south; in some regions, the most revered ritual at the turn of the year was not the first day of the lunar new year, but rather Beginning of Spring, one of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms in the sexagenary‑cycle calendar.
The beginning of spring, or Lichun, holds profound significance for traditional agrarian societies. Major ceremonies—such as deity worship and ancestral rites, prayers for a bountiful year and blessings, exorcism to ward off evil and avert calamity, the renewal of old customs and the ushering in of the new, and the welcoming of the Spring Festival—are all scheduled around the day of Lichun and its surrounding period. This array of festive activities not only laid the groundwork for later New Year celebrations but has also preserved its folk‑cultural functions to this day.
The Three Hou of the Beginning of Spring
At the beginning of spring, the most striking feature in nature is that all things begin to show signs of revival. By this time, in China, along and south of the Tropic of Cancer, one can clearly sense the breath of early spring approaching.
First period: The east wind thaws the ice.
On the day of the Beginning of Spring, the gentle east wind caresses the face, and the earth begins to thaw; spring quietly nurtures new life beneath the ice and snow.
The second hou: the hibernating insects begin to stir.
Five days after the Beginning of Spring, the insects that have lain dormant throughout the winter gradually awaken, heralding a fresh new beginning.
The third hou: fish ascend and carry the ice.
Five days later, the fish beneath the water, sensing the warmth, swam to the surface. At that moment, the ice seemed to be melting yet not quite—so the fish scrambled to break through it and emerge.
Spring gives birth to all things, and the gentle breeze carries fresh promise.
Seasonal Activities
01 Welcoming Spring
The Beginning of Spring marks the start of spring, signaling the arrival of the season. Although the weather remains chilly and crisp, the depths of winter have passed; spring returns to the earth, all things awaken, and nature bursts with vitality. For this reason, ancient people attached great importance to the Beginning of Spring and observed rituals to welcome it.[24] Welcoming spring is a central aspect of this festival, requiring thorough preparation and rehearsals beforehand—commonly referred to as “performing spring.”
02 Hu Chun Niu (Making the Spring Ox)
The custom of “pasting the Spring Ox” begins before the onset of the Beginning of Spring. According to traditional practice, the county government (the county yamen) commissions skilled papier-mâché artisans to gather in the county seat prior to the festival and meticulously craft an image of the Spring Ox. Typically, a bamboo frame is fashioned into the ox’s skeleton, wooden sticks serve as its legs, and paper is then pasted over it; once painted with pigments, the lifelike figure of the ox is complete.
03 Beating the Spring Ox
“Whipping the Spring Ox” refers to the ritual of striking a clay‑made ox on the day of the Beginning of Spring; it is also known as “whipping the spring ox” or “whipping the earth ox.” During this custom, the clay ox is smashed, a practice that harks back to the era of agricultural civilization. By performing this rite, farmers are reminded that spring has arrived and that they should adhere to the proper farming calendar, sowing their crops in due season, while praying for a bountiful harvest and for peace and prosperity throughout the year. Closely linked to the wish for a rich yield, this tradition is one of the oldest seasonal customs.
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