A bountiful crescendo

In the past two years, everyone has reached a consensus that the ecological farming of rice and crayfish is complementary: rice fields provide shade, a perfect habitat for the crayfish to grow; crayfish can not only deworm the rice field, but also loosen the soil and promote the development of rice root system; the waste and feed left by crayfish serve as fertilizer for the paddy field.

For the villagers, modern agricultural technology has lent a good deal of vitality to the traditional solar term. The quality of rice continues to improve, the soil and water continue to recover, and the development of a green, eco-friendly model is helping them to harvest and thrive both economically and spiritually.

The Chinese believe that, on the autumn equinox, yin and yang are in balance. Thunder is the representative of yang, and after the autumn equinox, when yin grows strong, thunder disappears. Therefore, "we have both grand moon sacrifice and thanksgiving ceremonies", says Guo Wenbin, a scholar of the 24 solar terms.