The song of 24 solar terms lists the terms as follows: the Beginning of Spring, Rain Water, the Waking of Insects, the Spring Equinox, Pure Brightness, and Grain Rain; the Beginning of Summer, Minor Fullness of Grain, Grain in Beard, the Summer Solstice, Minor Heat, and Major Heat; the Beginning of Autumn, the End of Heat, White Dew, the Autumnal Equinox, Cold Dew, and Frost's Descent; the Beginning of Winter, Minor Snow, Major Snow, the Winter Solstice, Minor Cold, and Major Cold.
In front of the Guangji Gate in Chaozhou, the Chaoxiang Drum Club performed the Beginning of Spring Drum. With their drumming and movements, each drummer vividly demonstrated the twenty-four solar terms, a unique Chinese cultural expression of the passage of time.
Inspired by Chaozhou percussion, the 24 Seasons Drums was first created in a Malaysian Chinese community in 1988. With Lingnan lion dance and drums as its basis, it has been incorporated with modern performance movements. The 24 Seasons Drums was introduced to China in 1998, and people soon resonated with it. Currently, there are 90 drum teams in China, and nearly a quarter of them are in Chaozhou.
In September 2018, the Chaoxiang Drum Club, as the only representative from the Chinese mainland, travelled to Malaysia for the competition to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 24 Seasons Drums.
Planning | Zhao Yang
Coordinating | Xie Miaofeng
Reporter | Wang Yongxing, Jasmine
