Frost’s Descent (Shuangjiang), the 18th solar term of the traditional Chinese calendar, falls on October 23 this year. Across China, late autumn settles in and the season’s first frost appears. Ancient tradition observed three distinct signs during this term: dholes hunt and lay out prey as if making an offering, grass and trees turn yellow and shed their leaves, and hibernating insects grow still.

Tang dynasty poet Du Mu famously wrote: “I stop my cart in maple woods to gaze my fill; Frost-bitten leaves look redder than early spring flowers.”

Golden snub-nosed monkeys move among the mountain woods while ripe persimmons hang heavy on the boughs. As foliage fades, all living things quiet themselves in preparation for the coming winter.