Just saw this beautiful illustration by my mate Shirley Chiang (@shirleys.illustrations) and discovered I am one whole week late in realising it is now Li Chun 立春, the first solar term in the traditional Chinese calendar that marks the beginning of spring in East Asian cultures.
In Taiwan, Li Chun also marks the Farmers’ Day. Traditionally, this is the time when the warm east wind thaws the ice, awakening the hibernating insects and calling the fish in the rivers to swim upstream.
I love how Shirley has the door open under a tree of blossoms in her illustration. The arrival of springtime ushers in new opportunities, expectations and aspirations, and everything feels possible, as long as we are willing to work hard. As the traditional saying goes, this is the time to “rise early and go to bed late everyday”!
Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音 