Bailu

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Báilù or Hakuro is the 15^th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 165° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 180°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 165°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around September 7 and ends around September 23.

Hanlu

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Hánlù or Kanro is the 17^th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 195° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 210°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 195°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around October 8 and ends around October 23.

Qiufen

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Qiūfēn or Shūbun is the 16^th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 180° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 195°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 180°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around September 23 and ends around October 8.

Shuangjiang

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Shuāngjiàng or Sōkō is the 18^th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 210° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 225°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 210°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around October 23 and ends around November 7.

Xiaoxue

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Xiǎoxuě or Shōsetsu is the 20^th solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 240° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 255°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 240°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around November 22 and ends around December 7.

Daxue

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Dàxuě or Taisetsu is the 21^st solar term. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 255° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 270°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 255°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around December 7 and ends around December 21 .

Dongzhi

The traditional East Asian calendars divide a year into 24 solar terms . Dōngzhì or Tōji is the 22^nd solar term, and marks the winter solstice. It begins when the Sun reaches the celestial longitude of 270° and ends when it reaches the longitude of 285°. It more often refers in particular to the day when the Sun is exactly at the celestial longitude of 270°. In the Gregorian calendar, it usually begins around December 21 and ends around January 5.

The solstices mark the ''middle'' of the seasons in East Asian calendars. Here, the Chinese character means "extreme", so the term for the winter solstice directly signifies the summit of winter, a linkage absent in Western languages.

In China, Dongzhi was originally as an end-of-harvest festival. Today, it is observed with a family reunion over the long night, when pink and white ''tangyuan'' are eaten in sweet broth to symbolise family unity and prosperity.