Poster | Grain Buds

By Wang Ruoxin

The Grain Buds, or Xiaoman, the 8th of the 24 solar terms in the traditional lunar calendar falls on May 21 this year.

Xiaoman means seeds of grain are becoming full but not ripe yet. The Chinese character "man" means full, which not only refers to the ripening grains but also abundant rainwater. As the saying goes in southern China, “If there is not enough rainfall in Grain Buds, farmlands will be dry.”