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The Chinese lunar year consists of twenty-four solar terms evenly spread over the four seasons. Qingming represents an important term for farming, exemplified by the farmer's rhyme, "When Qingming is around the corner, busy is the bean and melon planter." As it is early spring with everything coming back to life, Qingming is the best time of the year for outings. In fact, people have been going to the country "to see the green" on this day ever since ancient times.
As Qingming comes two days after Han Shi Jie (Cold-Meal Day which is no longer celebrated), it is the day to honor the dead. Cold-Marl Day was proclaimed by Duke Chong'er of Jin of the Spring and Autumn Period as a day to honor the memory of Jie Zhitui, one of his loyal aides, w ho burned himself to death to show his determination to refuse the duke's offer of a high-ranking official post.
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