In the Ching Dynasty, there was one officer whose duty it was to report the precise date for the Beginning of Spring (Li Chun 立 春). His job was to place one feather inside a 3-foot long piece of bamboo, which he buried in the ground. During winter when the earth qi (chi) was low, the feather was at the bottom of the bamboo. As the earth qi (chi) increased, the feather started rising. When the feather reached the top of the bamboo, the officer would bring the feather to the Emperor and the Emperor would announce that Spring had arrived.

 

In order to describe nature’s changes the Lunar Calendar has Twenty-Four Joints and Qi (Chi). Some books refer to the Twenty-Four Joints and Qi (Chi) as the “Twenty-Four Seasons”.

Each Joint and Qi (Chi) has its own significance. The Twenty-Four Seasons start approximately on February 4^th with Li Chun (立 春 日), and continue at regular fifteen-day intervals throughout the year. The beginning of the four seasons are the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes and the Summer and Winter Solstices. The exact time when each particular Joint or Qi (Chi) starts depends on the Month Stem and Month Branch.

 

Observing changes in nature based on the Twenty-Four Seasons can give us much information about trends in our government and economy.