In ancient times when the slash-and-burn farming was still adopted, Chinese ancestors discovered that the quantity and quality of agricultural resources, for instance crops, livestock and fishery products were correlated to the cyclic variations in the appearance and the position of the sun and the moon in the sky, as well as the resulting natural phenomenon such as cold and heat, day and night, rain and snow, and ebb and flow. To better leverage such laws of nature for agricultural production, our ancestors embarked on a long journey of exploring the rules of time and climate, and finally developed the calendar and 24 solar terms. During the Western Han dynasty (202 B.C.8 A.D.), the solar terms were included in Taichu calendar, the common calendar of the time. Over time, the calendar itself died, but the solar terms survived. On November 30th, 2016, the 24 solar terms were inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.Through the inheritance of more than two thousand years, the 24 solar terms have intertwined with many cultural carriers such as traditional Chinese technology, folklore, cuisine, and literature. Infused by such traditional culture with the vividness and vitality of emotions, the solar terms are able to pass on from the royalty to the commoner in an accessible, practical and accurate way, as well as survive and thrive through constant improvement and innovations. They showcase the food philosophy of Eating by the seasons: on Beginning of Spring, people eat radishes, Beginning of Autumn, meat; on Winter Solstice, dumplings are the traditions; while on Summer Solstice, noodles are the favorite. The solar terms signal festivals: Beginning of Spring brings the Spring Festival; Grain in Ear, Dragon Boat Festival; Beginning of Autumn, Chinese Valentines Day; and Minor Cold, Laba Festival. Also customs: on Pure Brightness, people worship their ancestors; on Autumn Equinox, people appreciate the round moon; on Cold Dew, people pay respect to the elderly and the sage; on Major Cold, people make offerings to the Kitchen God. Apart from these solar terms in peoples daily life, those in poetry- be it the natural scenery or the cultural customs, add a diachronic dimension of literature and history.The twenty four solar terms, through generations of inheritance, have transcended time and encapsulated feelings to connect the land and the sky, the classic and the modern, life and art, and reality and hearts. They are a window to Chinese culture, and eyes to see the kindness and beauty of Chinese people. Now, lets set sail for the ocean of knowledge, and savor the charm of the solar terms together!LI Yeping