Solar terms inspire artist to create a vivid, meditative world

Ancient Chinese people developed a system of 24 solar terms to help govern farming activities and day-to-day routines throughout the year. The subsequent phenological phenomena associated with the terms have influenced arts of all kinds.

At her ongoing exhibition in Beijing, Sichuan artist Zhang Mengrou has experimented with the idea of solar terms to render them with a vibrant palette and geometric patterns. She celebrates the wisdom behind the creation of the solar terms, something that still has relevance given the human-made degradation of the natural environment.

The exhibition, The Light-Year Time-Space of Zhang Mengrou's Art, can be seen at the National Art Museum of China until Dec 5.