Beauty of Seasons: Rain Water

Hello, everyone! I'm Sisi, a travel enthusiast! Today is Yushui, or Rain Water, the second solar term of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms. As spring is in the air, I've come to Guilin city, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Here, the story of spring is just beginning!

The Rain Water solar term marks the start of increasing rainfall. The Li River is brimming with spring vitality, flowing poetically. Though it's still a bit chilly, tourists are already boating on the river—umbrellas in hand, of course!

The Rain Water solar term, also known as the "time for plowing," signifies the gentle spring rain that awakens the fields and revives crops. The 24 solar terms not only nourish China but also benefit the world. In ancient times, Japan adopted these solar terms from China and adjusted them to suit its local climate. During the Rain Water solar term, Japanese farmers increase their irrigation efforts in order to welcome a new year of harvest.

The Rain Water solar term is also the time when rapeseed flowers begin to bloom. For Guilin residents, their idyllic visions of the February countryside are incomplete without the golden hue of rapeseed flowers. On the hills of the city's Quanzhou county, rapeseed flowers are already beginning to bloom. The smell of spring is in the air, wrapped in the fresh scent of earth and flowers.

"Good rain knows its time right; It will fall when comes spring. With wind it steals in night; Mute, it moistens each thing." Water nurtures all things and also breeds hope. I send this spring message to my friends afar, hoping that this gentle spring rain brings you warmth, vitality, and good fortune!

(Zhang Heyun, as an intern, also contributed to this article.)