When Is Lidong 2026, the Chinese Start of Winter?

Lidong (立冬), the Start of Winter, is the 19th of China’s 24 solar terms. In 2026 it begins when the Sun reaches ecliptic longitude 225°, at 5:51 PM China Standard Time on Saturday, 7 November 2026 (09:51 UTC; 1:51 AM Pacific Time the same day), the astronomical midpoint between the September equinox and the December solstice.

Key takeaways

• Lidong 2026 begins at 5:51 PM China Standard Time on Saturday, 7 November 2026, when the Sun reaches ecliptic longitude 225°.
• The 24 solar terms split the Sun’s yearly path into 24 equal steps of 15° of longitude, counted from 0° at the March equinox (Hong Kong Observatory).
• UNESCO inscribed the Twenty-Four Solar Terms on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016.
• In northern China, Lidong is the day for dumplings (jiaozi); in 2017 a primary school in Hohhot marked it with a dumpling-making class (China Daily).
• The Huangdi Neijing’s winter advice to go to bed early and rise late points the same way as a small 2017 study in which five winter campers living by natural light fell asleep about 2.5 hours earlier (Current Biology).

When is Lidong 2026?

Lidong 2026 falls on Saturday, 7 November 2026, at 5:51 PM China Standard Time (UTC+8). That is evening in China and before dawn in California (1:51 AM Pacific Standard Time), so the date is 7 November on both sides of the Pacific.

Lidong usually lands on 7 or 8 November. China Daily dated it 7 November in 2017 and 8 November in 2023. The solar term then runs until the next one, Xiaoxue (Light Snow), when the Sun reaches 240°; the Hong Kong Observatory’s 2026 almanac times that at 3:23 PM Hong Kong time on 22 November 2026.

The same 225° moment is the astronomical cross-quarter day: halfway, by solar longitude, from the September equinox (180°) to the December solstice (270°). In the Gaelic calendar the traditional festival near this point is Samhain, kept on 31 October and 1 November.

What are the 24 solar terms, and how are they calculated?

The 24 solar terms (jieqi) are the moments when the Sun reaches 24 fixed points on the ecliptic, spaced 15° apart, so each term lasts roughly 15 days. The Hong Kong Observatory sets the March equinox at 0°, Qingming (Bright and Clear) at 15°, and so on around the circle; Lidong, which it translates as “Winter Commences”, sits at 225°.

The terms alternate between 12 major and 12 minor terms. The Hong Kong Observatory explains that the equinoxes and solstices were the first terms fixed in ancient times, followed by the four “commences” terms that open each season (Lichun, Lixia, Liqiu and Lidong); the rest were named later for the weather and farm work of their seasons, and the system reflects the ancient climate of central China. That makes the system solar, even though it sits inside a lunisolar calendar: each lunar month is meant to contain one major term, and a month without one becomes a leap month.

For how other calendars have handled the drift between the Sun and the date, see why ten days vanished in 1582.

Why did UNESCO list the 24 solar terms?

UNESCO inscribed the Twenty-Four Solar Terms on its Representative List in 2016, at the 11th session of its intangible heritage committee. China Daily reports the date as 30 November 2016.

UNESCO’s description says the system began in the Yellow River region, came from observing seasons, astronomy and natural phenomena there, and spread across the country. Farmers still use it to guide their work, and it is shared by many ethnic groups in China, with festivals such as the Zhuang people’s First Frost Festival and the Ritual for the Beginning of Spring in Jiuhua.

How is Lidong marked in China?

In northern China, Lidong is marked above all with dumplings; historically it was also a court rite to welcome winter and a time of harvest offerings. Customs vary by region.

Past. China Daily describes an emperor who bathed and gave up meat before the Start of Winter, then led his officials to the suburbs for a ceremony of welcoming the winter. CGTN notes that in agricultural society, people made offerings in thanks for the harvest and to honor the dead with food from the stores, and families rewarded a year of work with a large meal of their own produce.

Dumplings. CGTN calls dumplings the most popular Lidong food, especially in the north, often served hot with vinegar and garlic, and ties the custom to wordplay on the dish’s name. A legend China Daily retells credits Zhang Zhongjing, a physician of the late Eastern Han, with wrapping dough into ear shapes to protect people’s ears from frostbite, hence the saying that you should eat dumplings at the Start of Winter or your ears will freeze.

Other regions. CGTN reports that mutton hotpot at the start of winter became a tradition in the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), while in the south people traditionally drink warmed yellow rice wine.

Present. In 2017, a primary school in Yuquan district, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, held a dumpling-making activity on 7 November to mark Lidong (China Daily). CGTN adds that many people now exercise instead of feasting, and winter-swimming races are popular in many cities.

What does the Huangdi Neijing say about sleep in winter?

The Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) advises earlier nights and later mornings for the three months of winter. In chapter 2 of its Suwen (Basic Questions), the line 早臥晚起，必待日光 says, in our paraphrase, to go to bed early, rise late and wait for the sunlight; the same passage calls winter a season of closing and storing, and advises leaving the cold for warmth, not letting the skin sweat, and keeping one’s will withdrawn, as if hidden. The scholarly English edition is Paul U. Unschuld and Hermann Tessenow’s annotated translation (University of California Press, 2011).

Here is how each piece holds up against modern evidence:

The caveats matter: the camping study had five people and no control group, the Kiruna study was observational and far north of China, and the Berlin data came from patients with disturbed sleep. None of this tests the Neijing’s theory of yin and yang, only whether its timing advice points the same way as the light-dark cycle.

How can you keep your rhythm as the days shorten?

Keep your wake time steady and let daylight do the work. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute advises going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, with no more than about an hour’s difference on weekends, and avoiding bright screens in the hour before bed. A modern take on “rise late” is not a later alarm but morning light at a regular time: the Kiruna researchers concluded that a lack of natural daylight delays the sleep-wake cycle, even with electric lighting.

More in how to fix your sleep schedule and the best time to eat dinner.

Your day on My BodyClock

The day above on My BodyClock is a Lidong day built on the Neijing’s timing and the evidence. Wake-up is 6:30 AM, the same as any other day, with a 30-minute walk in morning daylight and a warm breakfast. A midday walk catches the strongest light of a short day. After work comes the Lidong custom: making dumplings with family, then eating them together at 7 PM. Lights dim at 8:45 PM, and sleep starts at 10 PM.

Build your own winter plan in Owaves: My BodyClock, the World’s First Wellness Planner, Powered by Your Body Clock. Take the Body Clock Type quiz, download Owaves on the App Store, or join the Android waitlist.

FAQ

When is Lidong 2026?

Lidong 2026 is Saturday, 7 November 2026. The Sun reaches ecliptic longitude 225° at 5:51 PM China Standard Time, which is 09:51 UTC and 1:51 AM Pacific Standard Time on the same date.

Is Lidong the same as the winter solstice?

No. Lidong opens winter in the Chinese solar-term calendar at 225°, while the winter solstice, Dongzhi, comes at 270°, on 22 December 2026. Lidong sits halfway between the September equinox and the December solstice.

Why do people eat dumplings on Lidong?

In northern China, dumplings are the signature Lidong food. CGTN ties the custom to wordplay on the dish’s name, and a legend retold by China Daily says the physician Zhang Zhongjing shaped dough like ears to protect people from frostbite.

Did the Huangdi Neijing say to sleep more in winter?

Its Suwen, chapter 2, advises going to bed early and rising late in winter, waiting for the sunlight. Small modern studies point the same way on earlier sleep; for most people, a steady wake time with morning light is the practical version.

Sources

1. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms, knowledge in China of time and practices developed through observation of the sun’s annual motion (inscribed 2016). https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/the-twenty-four-solar-terms-knowledge-in-china-of-time-and-practices-developed-through-observation-of-the-sun-s-annual-motion-00647
2. Hong Kong Observatory. The 24 Solar Terms. https://www.hko.gov.hk/en/gts/time/24solarterms.htm
3. Hong Kong Observatory. 24 Solar Terms, 2026 (Almanac 2026). https://my.weather.gov.hk/en/gts/astron2026/files/2026SolarTerms24.pdf
4. CGTN. Lidong: China welcomes winter with harvest rituals, warming feasts (7 November 2017). https://news.cgtn.com/news/3155444e34597a6333566d54/index.html
5. China Daily. 24 Solar Terms: 8 things you may not know about Start of Winter, page 2 (8 November 2023). https://language.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202311/08/WS654b3c48a31090682a5ed220_2.html
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7. China Daily. Primary school in Hohhot marks Lidong (9 November 2017). https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/201711/09/WS5b783713498e855160e8c599/primary-school-in-hohhot-marks-lidong.html
8. Huangdi Neijing, Suwen, chapter 2 (四氣調神大論), Chinese text. Wikisource. https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E9%BB%83%E5%B8%9D%E5%85%A7%E7%B6%93/%E7%B4%A0%E5%95%8F%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%80%E5%8D%B7
9. Vivienne Lo (2013). Review of Unschuld and Tessenow, Huang Di Nei Jing Su Wen: An Annotated Translation (University of California Press, 2011). Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bulletin-of-the-school-of-oriental-and-african-studies/article/abs/paul-u-unschuld-and-hermann-tessenow-with-the-assistance-of-zheng-jingsheng-huang-di-nei-jing-su-wen-an-annotated-translation-of-huang-dis-inner-classic-basic-questions-berkeley-university-of-california-press-2011-volume-1-798-pp-volume-2-754-pp-195-isbn-978-0-520-266988-set/7FF224D9D4E97C2B7F99BB392D2A044F
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13. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Healthy Sleep Habits. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/healthy-sleep-habits
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15. China Daily. 24 Solar Terms: 8 things you may not know about Start of Winter, page 1 (8 November 2023). https://language.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202311/08/WS654b3c48a31090682a5ed220_1.html

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