The second solar term of spring - Yushui (Rain Water) starts from February 18, or the 7th of the first lunar month this year. It  signals the increase in rainfall and rise in temperature. With its arrival, lively spring-like scenery starts blossoming: the waters defreeze, wild geese return from south to north, and trees and grass turn green again. Sufficient rainfall is significant to agricultural production during Yushui. As an old Chinese saying goes, the rainfall in spring is as precious as oil.

Video provided by China Xinhua News Network Corporation

“Returning to Mother's House" is a custom of the Han people in western Sichuan province. A married woman and her husband visits her parent's house with gifts on the first day of Yushui solar term. She'd prepare stewed pork with sugarcane, red jujube, longan, goji berries and other ingredients in a pottery jar sealed with red paper and rope. The son-in-law would present the food as a token of appreciation and gratitude, along with a pair of bamboo chairs wrapped with a four-meter red silk ribbon to pray for the longevity of his parents-in-law.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System / Gong Jiguang

Mt. Yulei Park / Qiu Wei

Special thanks to China Xinhua News Network Corporation