▲When the ears of grain are full, the bananas are ripe, which means a shining summer has begun. In Minzhong town, Zhongshan city, local people use the buds of banana flowers to cook rice porridge with shredded fish and clams.

Grain in Ear, or Mangzhong (Chinese: 芒种), the 9th solar term, begins on June 6 this year.

The arrival of Grain in Ear signifies the ripening of crops such as barley and wheat. It is also a busy period for farmers.