Honoring Ancestors, Embracing a Millennia-Old Legacy of Family and Nation

The Qingming Season

Qingming, a period between April 4th and 6th annually,is the fifth solar term of spring and one of China's 24 solar terms. Its name derives from the clarity of the air and the vitality of nature during this period. As temperatures rise and rainfall increases, Qingming marks the golden time for spring plowing and sowing, reflected in the farming proverb: "Around Qingming, plant melons and beans."

The Three Phenomena of Qingming 

With a history spanning over 2,500 years, Qingming Festival—also anciently called the Spring Outing Festival, Third Month Festival, or Ancestor Worship Festival—originates from early Chinese ancestral veneration and spring rituals. It stands as one of China's four major traditional festivals, alongside Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival.

The festival's name is related to three seasonal changes: 

01 Paulownia Trees Bloom First

As spring awakens life, the surging yang energy of Qingming spurs paulownia trees to blossom—a herald of nature's vibrant rebirth, soon followed by other flowers.

02 Rodents Retreat, Songbirds Emerge

Rodents retreat to their burrow as the sunlight becomes stronger, while birds that thrive in yang energy come out of their nests.  

03 Rainbows Reappear

Frequent spring rains around Qingming clear the air, making rainbows visible after showers—a sign of nature's balance between rain and sunlight.

Qingming Traditions

Qingming is both a solar term and a festival—a solemn occasion for tomb-sweeping and ancestor worship, as well as a joyful celebration of spring's renewal.  

01 Tomb-Sweeping

Tomb sweeping, anciently called "grave sacrifice" , is a ritual through which descendants express "respect in remembrance" to ancestors, a tradition passed down to this day. This practice embodies reverence for familial roots and continuity across generations. 

02 Spring Outings

With nature in full bloom, Qingming is ideal for spring outings. Ancient Chinese called this "seeking spring," as people ventured outdoors to embrace verdant landscapes and the vitality of life.

03 Kite Flying

Kite flying is a beloved Qingming activity. In antiquity, people believed writing ailments on kites and cutting the strings would carry misfortunes away. Today, it symbolizes joy and rejuvenation.

04 Eating Qingtuan

During Qingming, it is a custom in the Jiangnan region to eat Qingtuan—emerald-green dumplings crafted through a meticulous process. The dough begins with jiangmaicao, a wild plant whose leaves are crushed and pressed to extract vibrant green juice. This juice is then blended with finely ground, sun-dried, water-milled glutinous rice flour to form a smooth, pliable dough, which is finally shaped into round dumplings and steamed. These sticky-sweet treats, carrying the essence of spring herbs, symbolize renewal and ancestral blessings.