The ninth solar term of this year, mangzhong or literally Grain in Ear, fell on June 5. This is a term reflecting agricultural phenological phenomenon. “Mang” refers to the maturity of the seeds of such awned crops as barley and wheat, which need to be harvested in time; “zhong” refers to the crops that need to be planted.

People always use the homonym of mangzhong (Grain in Ear) and another mangzhong which means planting in a rush, suggesting that the days around Grain in Ear is the busiest time for farmers to sow and work in the fields.

The day of Grain in Ear is the high time to sow awned grains, such as broomcorn millet, millet and the like. It is also a dividing point for the time of sowing. Because of the hot weather, it is already summer at this moment and the day is the deadline for the sowing activities. After this day, there is little chance for crops to survive. The agricultural proverbs like “Awned crops planted in a rush on the day of Grain in Ear” and “Grain in Ear means both harvest and plant” tell the same reason.

Generally speaking, in late Grain in Ear period, continuous cloudy and rainy weather often occurs in the Yangtze River basins. Plum rains is a good period for growing rice, vegetables and fruits. People in southern China have known about plum rains. They can take advantage of the climate resources and arrange farming activities accordingly.

Health experts say it is easy for people to feel sleepy during this time of year; and it usually rains a lot during mangzhong. But people can try to sweat out the sultriness by doing sports. Occasional sun exposure is also beneficial to blood flow at this time of the year.

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