Grain in Ear: harvesting wheat, planting rice season
Mangzhong, the ninth of the twenty-four solar terms and the third solar term of summer. Falling on June 5-7 each year when the sun reaches 75° of ecliptic longitude, Mangzhong carries a dual meaning: "mang" refers to awns on grain crops like wheat and barley, which ripen and are ready for harvest; it also refers to "awned seeds" that can be sown—the time when southern rice paddies receive transplanted seedlings. The name encapsulates the season when reaping and sowing occur together.
At this time, winter wheat in North China and the Huai River basin enters large-scale mechanized harvesting and threshing. Jiangnan and South China regions are busy transplanting rice seedlings and managing nurseries. The middle and lower Yangtze River region gradually enters the rainy plum season (黄梅季), requiring vigilance against continuous rain, severe convection, and localized heavy downpours, with close attention to field drainage and pest monitoring.
First Aspect - Praying Mantises Emerge: Praying mantises break from their cocoons; living creatures flourish in the grass.
Second Aspect - Shrikes Begin to Call: Shrike birds (鵙) begin their calls, and birdsong marks time across the fields.
Third Aspect - Talking Birds Fall Silent: Mockingbirds cease their song as summer heat intensifies and all things approach their peak flourishing.
Rest: Days are long and nights short; favor late sleep and early rising with appropriate midday rest. During the plum rain season, humidity is high, so maintain regular ventilation to eliminate dampness, and keep light blankets available to guard against cold.
Diet: Emphasize light foods with spleen-fortifying and dampness-eliminating properties: red beans, Job's tears, winter melon, lotus leaves, aged tangerine peel, and Chinese yam. Minimize greasy, spicy, and overly sweet foods; maintain proper hydration and electrolyte balance.
Exercise: In early morning or evening, engage in aerobic and gentle stretching such as walking, jogging, tai chi, and swimming, maintaining mild perspiration while guarding against heat and rain.
Emotions: Continuous rainy days can lead to sluggishness and irritability; focus on clearing the heart and calming the spirit through breathing exercises. Enjoy brief outings in natural surroundings to open the heart and resolve depression.
Wheat Harvest and Threshing: In northern regions, mature wheat is concentrated, harvested, dried, and threshed in an orderly rush.
Rice Transplanting: Jiangnan and South China regions engage in widespread seedling transplantation, emphasizing the principle of "seizing the moment and the sunshine" to promote seedling greening and healthy establishment.
Plum Cooking and Tasting New Fruits: Jiangnan regions practice cooking green plums and preparing plum beverages, traditional customs for refreshing the body and generating fluids.
Prayer for Abundant Harvest: Many places perform sacrificial rituals and offer prayers at agricultural milestones, hoping for favorable wind and seasonable rain, and abundant harvests with health and peace.
Mangzhong follows Xiaoman and precedes Summer Solstice. Its seasonal characteristics include the onset of the plum rain period in the south with frequent severe convection, while the north experiences high temperatures with alternating wind and dry-heat conditions. Agriculture enters the critical "three-summer" phase of harvesting, planting, and management.
Astronomical Significance: At Mangzhong, the sun reaches 75° of ecliptic longitude. The sun's subsolar point continues moving northward, daylight extends further, and near-ground convection becomes increasingly vigorous.
Agricultural Guidance: In North China and the Huai River basin, organize mechanized harvesting to minimize losses and timely dry and store grain; in Jiangnan and South China, strengthen seedbed and main field water and fertilizer management, watch for rice planthoppers, leaf rollers, and other pests, monitor continuous rainy conditions for waterlogging, and drain timely to protect seedlings.
