Treasured seasons

Light Snow (xiaoxue).[Photo provided to China Daily]

Each work was given a different colored glaze. The red tone of End of Heat (chushu) indicates summer fever; the yellow of Autumnal Equinox (qiufen) suggests a harvest; and the silver of Light Snow (xiaoxue) symbolizes the arrival of winter.

"Dong's works not only offer a novel visual experience," says exhibition curator Sun Yiwei. "They also have a lingering charm because of deeply-rooted Chinese cultural traditions."

The solar terms recently found favor with the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

On Nov 30, the committee added the Chinese 24 Solar Terms to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 11th session held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The committee examined 37 applications bidding to be inscribed on the list. The addition of the solar terms increased the number of Chinese items on the list to 31.