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Traditional timekeeping system in China is called "Stem-and-Branch" or "Ganzhi," developed by the observers of Jupiter thousands of years ago and also underlying the Chinese zodiac.
The system divides a day into 12 even parts each one of which is called a "shichen" and represented by a Chinese character. If you will ever run into an old Chinese sundial, instead of ancient Roman numbers, you will find the 12 characters carved on its surface around the rim.
And at each shichen of a day, China's coastline can amaze you in a unique way.
The 12 shichens, each represented by a Chinese character.
Fishermen busy unloading their cargos at the shichen of Chou, the second one of the day and between 1 a.m.-3 a.m., in Sanya, Hainan Province, March 2021.(Photo by CGTN Qu Bo)
A seafood fair in Sanya, Hainan Province. Its most busy time of the day is at the shichen of Yin, from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. (Photo by CGTN Qu Bo)
Sun starts revealing itself from the outset of the shichen of Mou that begins at 5 a.m. and ends two hours later. Photo taken at Wenchang, Hainan Province, March, 2021. (Photo by CGTN Qu Bo)
The last shred of darkness is gone by the shichen of Chen that refers to the two hours between 7 and 9 in the morning. Sanya, Hainan Province. March, 2021. (Photo by CGTN Qu Bo)
The shichen of Si, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., is about sunshine rolling along the roads in Sanya, Hainan Province, barring rainy days of course. March, 2021. (Photo by CGTN Chen Yuyang)
