CN-2487111 The 24 Solar Terms - qiū fēn 秋分

I received this interesting card from Annabell (Postcrossing, October 2018). It shows one of the 24 solar terms. This particular solar term is qiū fēn 秋分 (Autumnal equinox). But I am puzzled by the words in the top right corner of the postcard which read "Insects awaken" which is actually jīng zhé 惊蛰 a different solar term. Perhaps there was a printing error?

This interesting postcard shows the food associated with the time of the year.

Now I hope to get the other 23 cards associated with the 24 solar terms (ha ha). 

*****

What are the 24 solar terms?

The 24 solar terms, based on the sun's position in the zodiac, were created by farmers in ancient China to guide the agricultural affairs and farming activities. The 24 solar terms reflect the changes in climate, natural phenomena, agricultural production, and other aspects of human life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The 24 solar terms play important roles and have greatly influenced people's basic needs in life, and they still have an important function nowadays.

The 24 solar terms are:

Start of Spring lì chūn 立春

Rain Water yǔ shuǐ 雨水

Awakening of Insects jīng zhé 惊蛰

Vernal Equinox chūn fēn 春分

Clear and Bright qīng míng 清明

Grain Rain gǔ yǔ 谷雨

Start of Summer lì xià 立夏

Small Full (Grain) xiǎo mǎn 小满

Grain in Ear máng zhǒng 芒种

Summer Solstice xià zhì 夏至

Minor Heat xiǎo shǔ 小暑

Major Heat dà shǔ 大暑

Start of Autumn lì qiū 立秋

Limit of Heat chù shǔ 处暑

White Dew bái lù 白露

Autumnal Equinox qiū fēn 秋分

Cold Dew hán lù 寒露

Frost Descent shuāng jiàng 霜降

Start of Winter lì dōng 立冬

Minor Snow xiǎo xuě 小雪

Major Snow dà xuě 大雪

Winter Solstice dōng zhì 冬至

Minor Cold xiǎo hán 小寒

Major Cold dà hán 大寒

From the names of the 24 solar terms, we can see that the division of the solar terms has fully considered the variation of natural phenomena, such as seasons, climates and phenology.

The solar terms known as Start of Spring, Start of Summer, Start of Autumn, and Start of Winter are used to reflect the change of seasons, dividing the year into four seasons of exactly three months. While this fits an ideal pattern of dates, it does not reflect observable reality in most of China.

The solar terms of Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice are divided from an astronomical aspect, reflecting the turning point of the variation of the altitude of the sun.

Minor Heat, Major Heat, Limit of Heat, Minor Cold, and Major Cold reflect the changes of temperature in different periods.

Clear and Bright, Rain Water, Grain Rain, Minor Snow, and Major Snow, White Dew, Cold Dew, and Frost Descent reflect the phenomenon of precipitation, indicating the time and intensity of rainfall, snowfall, dew, and frost.

Small Full (Grain) and Grain in Ear reflect the maturity and harvest time of crops, while Awakening of Insects reflects observed insect activity.

CA-736784 Autumn and Winter scenes of Montreal, Canada

This lovely postcard shows autumn and winter scenes of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Montreal officially Montréal is the most populous municipality in the province of Quebec and the second-most populous in Canada. The city has a distinct four-season continental climate, with warm-to-hot summers and cold, snowy winters.
Legally a French-speaking city, 60.5% of Montrealers speak French at home, 21.2% speak English and 19.8% speak neither. Montreal is one of the most bilingual cities in Quebec and Canada.
Historically the commercial capital of Canada, it was surpassed in population and economic strength by Toronto in the 1970s. It remains an important centre of commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, education, culture, tourism, gaming, film and world affairs.
It is on my bucket list of places to visit.
Thanks to Shelley (27 July 2017) for this great postcard.