Module 3: Awakening of Insects

Daoyin Move for Awakening of Insects

A Spring Song (春歌)

Chūn yǒu bǎi huā qiū yǒu yuè,

春 有 百 花 秋 有 月，

Spring – have – hundred – flower-autumn –have – moon

Xià yǒu liáng fēng dōng yǒu xuě.

夏 有 凉 风 冬 有 雪。

Summer – have –cool-breeze – winter –have –snow

Ruò wú xián shì guà xīn tóu,

若 无 闲 事 挂 心 头，

If – no –idle matter – hang – heart – (top)

Biàn shì rén jiān hǎo shí jié.

便 是 人 间 好 时 节。

Then – be – human world – good – season

This poem is usually attributed to Wumen Huikai / Wúmén Huìkāi（无门慧开, 1183–1260）, a Song dynasty Chan Buddhist master. It is commonly known as part of his verse 《颂平常心是道》, “Verse on Ordinary Mind Is the Way.” The original poem doesn’t have a title. For ease of reference, people either call it by its first line or Spring Song.

The poem comes from a Chan Buddhist setting. Chan teaching often avoids abstract explanation and instead points to direct experience: look at the flowers, the moon, the breeze, the snow. The poem’s key idea is not that one season is better than another, but that each season has its own beauty.

The phrase “平常心是道” means “ordinary mind is the Way.” Wisdom can be found in ordinary moments, when the mind is not tangled in unnecessary worries, comparisons, desires, or resentments.

As we are talking about the 24 Solar Terms , which divide the year according to changes in sunlight, weather, farming rhythms, plants, animals, and daily life, I recommend to you my favorite poem as it does something similar in a very simple poetic form. It reflects the agricultural and seasonal consciousness behind the Solar Terms: people observe the world carefully, accept natural change, and adjust their feelings and actions to the rhythm of the year.

The poem reflects several important Chinese ideas.

First, it expresses harmony between humans and nature（天人合一）. The good life is about recognizing the gift in each moment.

Second, it shows a Daoist-like acceptance of change. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter all pass naturally. No season stays forever, and none is meaningless.

Third, it expresses Chan Buddhist freedom of mind. The line “若无闲事挂心头” means when the heart is not burdened by unnecessary concerns, any time can become a good season.

Do you have a favorite poem from your own culture? Please share with us and tell us why it moves you.

Below is a short clip of a solo classical Chinese dance choreographed and performed by Dr Xueting Luo 罗雪婷. The background music is a singing version of the poem. I hope the poem, the singing and the dance show you that Chinese seasonal culture is not only about farming or weather. It is also about aesthetic feeling, emotional balance, and living in tune with natural change.

A Word From Our Dancer

Introduction

This dance was choreographed in 2021, during the first year of my PhD research, and performed in the early spring of 2022 at Greenwich Park, London. It emerged from an exploration of movement, poetry, and the experience of being in nature.

Inspired by a Song dynasty Chan poem, the work was originally created to accompany the recitation of the poem, with movement emerging from the rhythm, cadence, and imagery of the Chinese text. The accompanying music was composed and performed by Zhu Zhenyin (朱震颐), drawing on the poem’s verses.

The choreography is inspired by the images that appear in the poem — blossoms, moonlight, wind, and snow. Although the poem evokes all four seasons, this performance took place in early spring, when the trees were still bare and the air retained the lingering chill of winter.

The poem’s imagery unfolds through the turning of the seasons. Whether blossoms or bare branches, winter or summer, no season is more complete than another. Each reveals a different expression of life’s continual unfolding. Through circular and spiralling movement, the choreography moves with this ongoing process of change, return, and renewal. Every season, every condition, and every moment carries its own significance.

Bio

Xueting Luo is an early-career researcher in performance studies. She recently completed her PhD at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries, University of Leeds, where her research explored Chinese classical dance as an embodied expression of aesthetic philosophy, with particular attention to somatic awareness, ecological thought, theatrical traditions, and intercultural practice. She also holds an MA in Chinese dance history and aesthetics from Beijing Dance Academy and publishes in both Chinese and English.

Additional Resources

Videos:

  1. Seasons of China: Solar Term 3 - Jing Zhe (Insects Awakening)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XFLTxb-MoY&list=PL3SL223bZUcoR_lcltt5Eoka2_U0jOxcz&index=4