The 24 solar terms:a unique intangible cultural heritage from China

在古代，二十四节气对人们的农业及生活起了很大作用。二十四节气已经申请成了世界非物质文化遗产。如今，一位设计者又将它们带回了公众视野。

T he 24 solar terms originated and was firstly used in China.It was created thousands years ago on the basis of practical needs of agriculture.It's determined by the changes of the sun's position in the zodiac（黄道带）throughout the year,with two periods each month.Ancient Chinese people used it to guide agriculture production,special climate signs such as floods and drought,cultural ceremonies,family gatherings and even healthy living tips.Nowadays the 24 solar terms is still being used by farmers and followed in many other parts of the world apart from China.The 24 solar terms was added to UNESCO's world intangible（无形的）cultural heritage list.Now,it has been brought to life thanks to a creative designer from Guizhou Province in southwest China.

On the eve of this year's Qingming Festival,Shi Changhongreleased hisversion ofre-produced and packaged characters for each solar term in the form of“moving art” of GIFs（图形交换格式；动画）.Since their release on Zcool on March 29,the GIFs have won great praises among the general public and quickly attracted social media with millions of hits during the festival period.

To maximize publicity,Shi released his work in three forms:video,animation and picture.While,the background sounds add to the brilliance.

“When I watch the short video,I can strongly feel the Chinese-style elements hidden in them.And it is really cool to renew Chinese traditional culture in such a unique way.”WeChat user Xiao Feifei said.

“It is really a comfort to me to see so many people like my latest work.To be honest,it would really surprise me if the work does not arouse a sensation among Chinese people.The 24 solar items is a deeply rooted concept that shows the essence of Chinese wisdom.However,only a small portion(部分)of people know all the names or the correct order of those terms.My intention is to increase Chinese people's self-awareness to learn more about our traditional fine culture.Actually,the 24 solar items work is only a part of my whole design program Charm China,which I started over a year ago.”Shi told China Daily.