About traditional Chinese culture

  GEN Z  

General information about the drama :

• Title: 后浪 / Hòulàng     ---  English title: Gen Z
• 40 episodes aired on  Dragon TV, Youku  from  May 14 to June 5, 2023
• it was an S+ drama from Youku which means it had a big budget
• Filmed  February 15 to June 13, 2022 in "5 different regions" after the cast got a "crash course in Chinese medicine" at the end of 2021, before filming started, first envisioned as from January, but booting pushed off to February.
• Director   Hán Xiǎojūn 韩晓军
• Screenwriter  Liù Liù 六六 (obtained a master's degree in traditional Chinese medicine during the preparation of the script. The main characters in the drama are also based on the people and events she recorded in real life ; "The script took screenwriter Liù Liù seven years to complete.")
• Cast  (on picture above, from left to right) :
  • Luó Yīzhōu* 罗一舟 as Rèn Tiānzhēn 任天真 (titular inheritor of the TCM clinic) 
  • Zhào Lùsī 赵露思 as Sūn Tóutóu 孙头头 (designated inheritor of the TCM sect)
  • Wú Gāng  吴刚 as Rèn Xīnzhēng 任新正 (the master of the TCM sect and clinic) 
  • Alina Zhāng Méng 张萌 as Yáng Xiǎohóng 杨小红 /Rebecca (a woman in search of values)
  • Zhōu Chéng'ào 周澄奥 as Péng Shíyàn 彭十堰 (pediatrician friend of Tiānzhēn and believer in western medicine)
  • Jiāng Shān 江珊 as Sòng Línglán 宋灵兰 (wife of Rèn Xīnzhēng)
  • Zhū Jùnlín  朱俊麟 as Zhào Lìquán 赵力权 (disciple of Rèn Xīnzhēng)

Synopsis :  

Sūn Tóutóu is an orphan in her twenties. One day, she gets in trouble while fighting injustice. Rèn Xīnzhēng, a professor at the University of Chinese Medicine, comes to her aid and hears about her life story. Professor Rèn accepts Tóutóu into the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) course to give her a fresh start in life. She  accepts the challenge to learn under Rèn Xīnzhēng and eventually inherits his family's TCM practice.

Professor Rèn's son, Tiānzhēn , is a classmate she dislikes for being haughty and causing her some difficulties. The quest to gain knowledge is challenging enough without adding adjusting to the generation gap between students and lecturers. Maturing, Tóutóu stays nevertheless and finds herself increasingly interested in traditional medicine.

Tóutóu and Tiānzhēn become closer as they learn to understand and empathize with each other. Tóutóu, her classmates, and their lecturers will persist and follow their dreams.

Where to watch :  Youku, or this playlist on YouTube with optional subtitles.

•  theme song Hòulàng /Gen Z (后浪) MV sung by Luó Yīzhōu 罗一舟 ; 
• Initial Rise (初升) sung by Liú Yǔníng 刘宇宁 ; 
• Worth It (也很值得) MV ending theme song sung by  Zhōu Shēn 周深.  
• full Playlist with Hànzì, pinyin and  English translation of lyrics. 

Sources on Chinese pages : Baidu, Weibo, Douban (on which the drama earned a lukewarm 4.1 from 102.5 thousand raters, as the background of TCM and covid-19 pandemic perhaps did not appeal to all and some regretted the topic did not get to convincing hot romance (but it was not the focus). Still, it was an ambitious topic that got much discussed. On May 24, 2023, the drama reached Youku’s 10,000 rating, after 11 days of broadcast (As monitored by MDL member Dreams, it reached 10 000 heat index for 8 days on that date).  It was nominated for three TV awards and shortlisted for the 14th Macau International TV Festival. On 1 January 2024, Hòulàng/Gen Z won “Outstanding Drama Series of the Year” in China TV Drama Awards 国剧盛典 2023. and was awarded the Quality Drama of the Year at the 2024 TV Series Quality Ceremony.

Note : pictures in the Discussion are linked to their sources although some links may be unavailable now.)

[To view the list of my other drama companion pieces (with links to them), check : HERE.]

1. SOLAR TERMS AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE AGRICULTURAL CALENDAR  

The drama opens on a mention  of the Awakening of the insects : Jīngzhé, one of China's 24 "Solar terms", which was on March 26 this year 2023.

Jīng zhé {惊蛰], or Awakening of Insects, is the third of China's 24 solar terms  (节气  jiéqì). It means that the warmer weather wakes up the animals hibernating in the soil.

Once upon a time, insects hid in the soil in winter without drinking or eating, which is called "zhé" in Chinese, meaning hibernation. When it comes to the day of Jīngzhé, thunder wakes up the hibernating animals, called "Jīng," meaning "wake up in a panic".  (But in fact, insects can not hear the thunder, animals wake up because the weather is warming up and they are ending their hibernation.)

There are a number of colorful superstitions attached to that period : "Villain" hitting originated in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and it's a folk ritual popular in Guangdong and Hong Kong. The custom is practiced during the Awakening of Insects to expel the "villain" and to bring good luck. People assign a specific "witch" (usually an elderly woman) to "beat the villains". They use paper cut in the shape of humans to represent "villains" in their lives and the "witch" would use shoes or other tools to hit the paper to expel bad luck! (One way of getting rid of colleagues-related annoyance instead of go bowling and imagine the "villains" heads on the pins?) Furthermore, in that period, people offer sacrifices to the white tiger during the Awakening of Insects to protect themselves :  people draw the white tiger (believed to be a harbinger of quarrels and disputes) on paper, and then smear pig's blood and pork on its mouth. This means the tiger is fed so that it will not bite people, avoiding bad luck and conflict.

Food is associated with the solar terms too : a traditional dish called Fried Chop Rice Cake (驴打滚儿 Lǘ dǎgǔn er, donkey rolls) holds significance. It is said that after the chilling winter, insects begin to stir with the arrival of this term. People consume this dish as a symbolic gesture, representing the notion of “Pests perish, fortunes flourish.” By enjoying Fried Chop Rice Cake, individuals metaphorically embrace the transition from winter to spring, expressing the hope for a prosperous and pest-free season ahead. (Recipe on Youtube; ingredients here : "Asian mochi rolls")

Eating pear is a custom during Jīngzhé. Pears can be eaten raw, steamed, juiced or boiled in water. Because the weather is dry during this time, eating pears can be hydrating and relieve a dry throat.

In ancient China, when there were more kinds of creatures, some infectious diseases did not have special medicine. On the day of Jīngzhé, the time when all bugs wake up, eating pears is also a way to remind everyone to be careful.
In Chinese, the homophone of "pear"  梨  "Lí" is 离 which means "away from". It is said that eating pears can keep pests away from crops, which can ensure a good harvest for the whole year.

Still in Chinese, "pear" 梨  and "plow" 犁 are also pronounced the same, which means that crops can start to be planted. The Chinese people have attached great importance to Jīngzhé since ancient times, and it is considered to be the beginning of the spring farming season."

"The solar terms are the seasonal division points on the Chinese lunar calendar. In the past, Chinese people used the system to schedule their agricultural activities or alter their diet at various times of the year. Today, lots of traditions and customs regarding the 24 solar terms, such as eating special foods, are still popular in the country.
In 2016, China's 24 solar terms were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity." UNESCO uploaded a short feature about the solar terms and their importance in Chinese culture and diet. "The 24 segments called Solar Terms [...] have been integrated in calendars as a time-frame for daily routines and production, being particularly important for farmers. Some folk festivities are associated with the terms, which have contributed to community cultural identity. Knowledge is transmitted in families and schools."

The "equatorial sundial" above, with sculpted mentions of solar terms, in Beijing, was featured in UNESCO documents for the inclusion of the 24 solar terms into ICH (Intangible Cultural Heritage). To the right, the most famous sundial (日晷  rì guǐ) stands in the Imperial Palace of Beijing. In the Astronomical Observatory (登封观星台)  which was built in 1276 Gàochéng 告成, Dēngfēng City 登封, Hénán Province, there is an ancient meridian line sun dial that was used to tell days in the traditional agriculture calendar.

24 Solar Terms in 2023

Several episodes in the drama start with a special opening sequence tastefully illustrating the period in this calendar, with the dietary and TCM recommendations that are associated. 
Now, May 14 is when in this calendar?

"Start of Summer (Chinese: 立夏), [Lìxià]  the 7th term of the year, begins on May 6 and ends on May 20 this year.

Start of Summer signals the transition of seasons. On this day, the sun's rays reach an angle of 45 degrees to the earth. The temperature will rise quickly during this period, yet in northern China weather remains mild, not tropical.
Here are five things to learn about the Start of Summer.
The term Start of Summer was originated at the end of the Warring States Period (239BC). Since it is a crucial time for the harvest of summer crops such as wheat and canola, ancient Chinese emperors in different dynasties attached great importance to the Start of Summer.
In the Zhōu Dynasty (1050-221 BC), the emperor led his officials to stage a welcome rite for the Start of Summer and encouraged his residents to seize the key time to do farm work. It's said that most of the decorations were arranged in the color red, including the emperor and the officials' dress, the jade pendants, the horses and the flags, in order to show respect to the god of summer and pray for a good harvest.

The custom of weighing people at the Start of Summer originated from the Three Kingdoms Period (220-180) and prevails in South China today. It was believed this practice would bring health and good luck to the people weighted.
After lunch on the day of Start of Summer, people would suspend a stool or basket from a beam. The young and old took turns to get weighed while the person calculating the weight would offer good wishes and auspicious words. It is said those who were weighed would stay healthy in the hot summer and those who weren't would suffer illness.

In ancient China, people believed a round egg symbolized a happy life and eating eggs on the day of Start of Summer was a prayer for good health. They put leftover tea into boiled water together with eggs and the original "tea egg" was created. Later people improved cooking methods and added spices to the eggs to make them taste delicious. Today tea egg has become a traditional snack in China.
As an old Chinese saying goes "hanging an egg on children's chest can prevent them from getting summer diseases", parents will prepare boiled eggs and put them in a knitted bag before hanging them on their child's chest.
When at school, children gather together to play egg competitions by colliding each other's eggs in pairs and the one whose egg is not broken wins.

According to Chinese traditional medicine, Start of Summer is a key time to moisten the heart. When the weather grows hotter dampness and heat can affect human health. Food rich in vitamins and cool in nature is highly recommended. Vegetables, such as cucumber, tomato, watercress and celery and fruits that include watermelon, pear and strawberry are top recommendations."

PS oh yes, for those not familiar with Chinese taboos, don't make a gift of pears to people, especially to your loved one, since that's ominous because of the "parting" (divorce) meaning.

PPS  This note about solar terms reminded me that a group of lady musicians of Chéngdū composed some time ago Zhōngguó fēng/Chinoiserie music for the 24 solar terms. They released an album in 2019 titled "Twenty-Four Solar Terms" of Yīnquē Poetry.  Zhào Fāngjìng  赵方婧, member of the "Yīnquē Poetry Listening Music Club." 【音阙诗听】group (and solo singer too) included several songs. Among those, the "Mángzhòng" 芒种 (translated either as Grain in beard or Grain in ear, but sometimes faultily as Mango or Mangosteen) song became a hit. It was also famously performed, on stage for TV in 2021,  by Zhào Lùsī 赵露思 with her guzheng, singing and dancing (click on picture below)

Now here's the Lìxià -Start of Summer tune for your seasonal enjoyment, sung by 昆玉 Kūn Yù, other member of the group. (the lyrics to that song are in description of the video, but without  pinyin or translation; nevertheless you can find link to pinyin and translation by clicking on her picture below):  

(Infos sourced from CGTN and China Daily, and travelchinaguide.com. For sources of info and picture of Zhào Fāngjìng:  the Internet archive where you can listen to her other songs : https://archive.org/details/zhao-fangjing-songs/Zhao+Fangjing.+Alley.mp3)

Addition : From April 13 to October 13, 2025 at the Osaka World Expo, the Solar Terms will be featured in the exhibits of the China Pavilion which adopted the theme "Building a community of life for Man and Nature - Future society of Green Development" (see preview on YouTube, linked to picture above)