Chinese people in ancient and modern times have different opinions about when spring actually starts. Those thoughts can be divided into three groups.

The first group of people thought that spring should begin with the solar term, “start of spring.” The reason for this is that the “start of spring” is the first one of the twenty-four solar terms. The Start of Spring always starts from the fourth or fifth of February of the solar calendar, which is just ten days before or after the Spring Festival. However, setting “start of spring” as the Start of Spring does not accord with the facts.

The second group of people confirms the traditional saying. In the Chinese lunar calendar, spring starts in the first month of the lunar year, and continues until March. People also call the first month of the lunar year “early spring” or “Meng spring,” the second month “Zhong spring,” and the third month “Yang spring.” This kind of saying accords well with the facts.

The third point of view comes from the regulation of modern aerography that the first day of the first group of five consecutive days with an average daily temperature above ten degree Celsius can be considered the beginning of spring.

China has a vast territory, and it contains both the Torrid Zone and the Frigid Zone, from the southern part to the northern part. Therefore, it is more scientific to determine the beginning of spring though the standard of measuring the average temperature.