Sakashita Kiyono, 36, the Chinese-Japanese owner of Claret.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Sakashita scotches the suggestion that the jieqi menu is a mere gimmick, saying her dietary philosophy is to make the best use of the freshest ingredients, which she says "listen to nature".

"I want to let nature take its course and focus on seasonal and local ingredients, rather than imported goods, and luxury materials."

In most people's mind, the 24 solar terms, more often than not, are related to weather and farming, Sakashita says, and the feel of the changing solar terms is weakening in people's daily life.