Lesser Heat (xiaoshu).[Photo provided to China Daily]

Based on observations of the sun's annual motion, the ancient Chinese created a lunar calendar dividing the year into 24 segments, each given a specific "solar term" (jieqi). The system provided a time frame for agriculture, everyday life and festivals.

Dong is now exhibiting the first six ceramics of her ongoing series in a solo exhibition at Beijing's Soka Art Center. She has named each after a solar term, such as Insects Awakening (jingzhe) and Grain Rain (guyu).

"The idea came to me when I saw a Weibo posting about the solar terms. The names sounded so poetic and inspired my imagination," she says.

Dong used the "zhan jing pan" technique, a method of creating miniature landscapes used during the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220). She molded mountains, rocks and animals, and arranged them in a ceramic pot to portray natural scenery corresponding to a solar term.