Chunfen, one of the twenty-four solar terms, begins on March 21 this year when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 0° (vernal equinox). On the day of Chunfen, the Sun is directly above the earth’s equator and the Northern and Southern Hemisphere have opposite seasons. Specifically, when Chunfen falls in the Northern Hemisphere, just the reverse - Qiufen - comes in the Southern Hemisphere.

Chunfen, the herald of spring, breathes life into the far-flung land of China, presenting an exuberant vernal scene with pleasant climate, twittering birds, lush greenery and blossoming flowers. All nature comes to life, especially those fiery peach and lily white plum blossoms which seem as if vying with each other in celebration of the forthcoming bumper crop. More often than not, Chunfen is also the real start of the folk activity - go hiking. Folk activities include: (I) Flying a kite. Mothers go out with their children to fly kites. Moreover, they will write their wishes on the kites in hopes of being seen by deities in heaven. (II) Wearing flowers in hair and drinking wine: people regardless of age and sex all wear flowers in hair. (III) Picking wild greens: With a long history, picking wild greens has emerged as early as the Southern Song dynasty according to the Ten Poems on Springtime by Zhu Shuzhen, a female poet of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279 AD). In terms of diet, there are spring vegetables, spring soups, spring wine and more.