Our grandparents seem to have magic powers sometimes. Give them a Chinese lunar calendar (农历), and they will know what the weather will be like a few days or even months later. What’s the secret? They are following the 24 Solar Terms (节气), which is an important part of Chinese culture. And on Nov. 30, 2016, the United Nations added it to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (人类非物质文化遗产).

In ancient times, most Chinese people made their livings on farms. So, weather changes were important to them. Without satellites (人造卫星), the Internet or the weather report’s help, Chinese ancient people studied the sun’s movement with a sundial (日晷). They also paid attention to other natural changes such as air temperature, water and plant growth. As early as the Shang Dynasty, the Chinese people had already established (确立) four solar terms. During the Zhou Dynasty, eight solar terms marking the four seasons were established. Until the Han Dynasty, the present 24 Solar Terms was established completely. The terms became their guide to farming work. For example, the solar term jingzhe is when insects wake up from a long sleep. Farmers take it as a sign of warm weather and get busy working.

The 24 Solar Terms is regarded as China’s fifth great invention, after paper-making, printing, the compass and gunpowder. Now, people still say, “Do not show your feet after hanlu.” Why? It’s because the solar term hanlu marks the coming of cold days.

A day at the shops can help you live longer, and surprisingly, the benefits are actually greater for men, says a study group from Taiwan. The study even suggests that shopping regularly is better than going to the gym. Seeing friends and just people-watching can stave off loneliness and improve psychological health, suggests the study. It looked at almost 1850 people aged 65 and over living alone at home in Taiwan, who were asked how often they went shopping. They found those who shopped daily lived longer than those who shopped less, with thinking of people’s physical or other health problems. By comparing with those who didn’t often go out to the shops had the best life record, with a 28% cut in their chances of dying, while older women saw a bit fewer benefits with a 23% cut in dying.   The researchers said, “An elder who shops less for food would be at risk of poorer diet to keep healthy. This makes a bad cycle. Shopping less causes poor health and poor health causes less shopping. ” But the study added, “In shopping situations, communicating with, or watching others can provide social and mental benefits. ” “Compared with other types of spare-time physical activity, like exercise, which usually needs motivation and sometimes professional instruction, shopping is easier to keep on.”

Li Mei feels worried about her looks — not her face, but her clothing. When she sees fashionable people on the street, she tries her best not to run into them. “I’m afraid that they think I’m out of style,” says a teenager from Chengdu, Sichuan.

What Li is experiencing is fashion anxiety (焦虑). It bothers many people today. And she is not the only. Last month, an internet user shared a video about her fashion anxiety on Sina Weibo, and it quickly caused a discussion.

A big reason for fashion anxiety is fashion bullying (霸凌) among people. As fashion magazines, advertisements (广告) keep showing the “latest and greatest” fashion, teenagers think they need to follow them, no matter how expensive it might be. “The need to be in a group is very important to young learners. They are sad and worried if they aren’t there,” said Andy Cranham, a teacher, at City of Bristol College in the UK.

Another reason some people might have fashion anxiety is that they are not confident (自信的) enough to know why we care so much about how fashionable people look at us. The fact is that those people usually don’t notice us at all.

Fashion comes, goes and changes all the time. The key is to find your own style. If you’re able to wear something with confidence, you may probably start a new fashion. What you need to focus on is not what fashion is but what kind of fashion you can create (创造).