To the Editor of the "Nonri-Cmmna Dany News"
Sim—tt is a pity that the extremely Interesting article on "Birds Found in Chefoo Area" by Ausrex, which appeared in your valuable paper of June 14, should have been marred by a repetition of the time-honoured confusion between the Chinese Lunar and Solar Calendars. In referring to the dates on which birds from the south make their appearance each spring he 59 But why Is It that the birds alone keep so closely to our foreign calendar when the rest of Nature obediently Tollews the course laid down inthe Chinese Lunar one? cans in China seem not to be aware that the Chinese thus yo by two calendars, and, assuming that they have only one, naturally marvel at the accuracy with which seasonal changes in the weather are predicted by the Chinese, While there are a number of pub Heations in which the names and dates of the twenty-four periods are to Lo found, I give them here for the suke of the uninitiated, They are as follows:
1. Hsiao-han, small cold, January 6. 2; Ta-han, great cold, January. 21. 3. Licch'uan, beginning of Spring, February 8.
YN-shui, rain water, February '3. Ching-cheh, excited __inseets, March, Chun-fen, Spring Equinox, Chilngeming, clear brightness, The answer to his question is twofold: firstly that the Chinese Lunar Calendar does not lay down a course for Nature to follow, and has nothing to do with seasons, and secondly that the rest of Nature does not ry, grain rain, April 20.
9. Lihola, "beginning of Summer, May 6, 10, Hlao-man, small fulness, May it, Mang-chung, sprouting seeds, follow the Chinese Lunar Calendar, but adheres to the Chinese farmers!
Solar Calendar, which divides the year into twenty-four parts each of itfteen of sixteen days and each commencing with a day bearing a special name. This Solar Calendar naturally coincides exactly with the calendar used by Westerners, which also based on movements of the 12. Tisla-chih, Summer Solstice, Sune 21.
12, Maloo-shu, small Heat, July.
14. Ta-sha, great heat, July 23, 15, Lielvi beginning of Autumn, August.
18. Chru-shu, end of heat, August white dew, September 8, (en, Autumnal" Equinox, Earth in relation to the Sun, so that the commencement of each fort nightly period falls on the same date In our Calendar each year.
If Avsrex had observed the rest. of Nature as closely as he has observed the birds he would have discovered that it, too, follows very closely the Western Calendar in iis seasonal manifestations, though, it must be admitted that' plants may vary in Spring from a week to as much as six weeks in the dates on which they bloom according to the vagaries of the weather. But these variations, it will be found, in no way coincide with the Chinese Lunar Calendar. That is to say, if the Chinese Lunar Calendar New Year is late in relation to the Western Solar Calendar, it does not follow that plants in China will be correspond-Ingly late in blooming. On the contrary, If it happens to. be a mild spring, they will bloom earlier than usual, Birds, on the other hand, coming from regions beyond the influence of local weather conditions, naturally are not affected by the latter, at least until they arrive in the vicinity, They may then beat a hasty retreat in the direction from which they have come oF continue In the direction they were going in the hope of finding more favourable weather conditions. This accounts for the extreme regularity in the date on which birds make their appearance ina given locality each year.
The Chivese at a "very early perlod'in their history discovered that the seasonal weather and other manifestations of Nature did not ft in with the movements and phases of the Moon, but followed those of the cold dew, October 8, Li-tung, beglaning of winter, November '22. Hslac-hsueh, small snow, November 22.
"2. Tachsueh, great snow, December '24. Tung-chih, Winter Solstice, December 22.
These are movable according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar and fixed according to the Western Calender.
The Lunar Calendar festivals naturally fall on different days of the Western Calendar each year, They 4, Tien-lung-tan, Birthday of the Heavenly' Dragon, 2ist Day oe 12th Moon.
2. "Shang-yuan-chie Feast of Lanterns, 13th Heaven and. auh, igth Day of Sth Moon, Tien-kuang-chieh, Feast, Mid-Autumn 75th Day of 8th Moon.
Double " Ninth yn Worship, 15th Day of 10th Moon.
These are fixed in the Chinese Lunar Calendar and movable in relation to the Western Calendar, must apologize to Avsrrx for writing thus, since he says in reference to his question:
This Is not a point which 1 rotse for argument, and T hope It will not be taken up as the text for a dispute the correspondence. columns, fun, so that they had to work out and' follow a Solar Calendar in order that they should be guided accurately in their agricultural pursuits, Most Europeans and Ameri But he cannot expect an erroneous statement to go unchallenged, and 1 am surprised you have not already received other letters calling attention to his mistake. only sell first-class rubber, because we have a surplus amount, Mr. L. Soyka::—Regarding the auditors' remarks in their report, "We are of opinion that timber assets are stated at a figure which 1s considerably in excess of their present value, and can express no opinion as to the value of the investment in Rantjah Sirang Concessions." 1 would like to hear what you have to say about that, The chairman:—Regarding the timber assets, we have a mill in Samat indo and at present it is an asset which presents a difficulty to realize. Although ft has cost us much, the auditors cannot give us any opinion of its value. Regarding Rantjah Sirang, that depends on whether it is developed or not. The auditors have to be guarded in these matters.
The following resolutions were carried:—
That the report and accounts for year ended October 31, 1035, as. pre-Sented, be adopted and passed—proposed "by Mr. W. R. MeBsin and Seconded by Mr. A. J. Welch, That Mr. C, Grumlit be re-elected a Airector of the company—proposed by Mr. V. Gensburger, and seconded by Mr. FU Siao-en.
That the appointments of Mr. Dijkstra and Mr. G, A. Murphy directors of the company be confirmed Axmuur ye C, Sowen Shangha Sune 19.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.