2026 Great Cold Arrives!
As the New Year approaches, the final note of winter has already sounded. When time reaches around January 20th on the Gregorian calendar each year, with the sun arriving at 300 degrees of celestial longitude, we usher in the last of the twenty-four solar terms and the coldest period of the year—Dahan (Great Cold or Major Cold). This marks the impending end of winter's chapter, while the prelude to spring quietly brews beneath the solid ice.
Dahan, as the name suggests, signifies the peak of cold weather. Like the Xiaohan (Minor Cold) solar term, both describe the intensity of winter chill. At this time, the earth is in the depths of the "third and fourth nine-day periods," the coldest stretch of winter. Cold waves frequently sweep southward, making this the most frigid season of the year, with precipitation particularly scarce. Although the sun's angle is at its lowest during the winter solstice, the earth continues to lose heat, and it is only around Dahan that temperatures truly bottom out. Interestingly, due to China's vast territory, climate experiences differ between the north and south. For most northern regions, Xiaohan is often colder than Dahan, while for some southern coastal areas, Dahan marks the coldest time of the year.
As the final solar term of the year, Dahan customs are filled with the busyness and joy of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Coinciding with the twelfth lunar month, with the Lunar New Year just around the corner, households begin bustling with preparations—a tradition known as "welcoming the New Year during Dahan." People engage in thorough cleaning, commonly called "sweeping away dust," symbolizing the sweeping away of the past year’s ill fortune. To add to the festive atmosphere, many families paste new paper and beautiful paper-cuttings on their windows, known as "window pasting." In terms of food, there is a custom of eating glutinous rice or rice cakes. Glutinous rice-based foods are believed to warm the spleen and stomach, helping to ward off the severe cold, hence such foods are also called "cold-dispelling cakes." Additionally, making preserved meats like bacon and sausages is an important activity during this time, preparing for the sumptuous Lunar New Year's Eve feast.
Just before the Dahan solar term, On January 15, the United States imposed a 25% tariff on exports of high-end chips to China, targeting advanced chip products from companies such as Nvidia and AMD, with the aim of reshaping international supply chains and market competition. On January 19, American memory chip giant Micron Technology announced plans to acquire Taiwan’s Powerchip P5 wafer fab for $1.8 billion, a move intended to bolster its DRAM production capacity to meet growing demand from AI and data centers. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026, with production commencing in the second half of 2027. Meanwhile, the semiconductor equipment sector also faced pressure, as companies like Dutch ASML Holding saw their stock prices decline due to potential international trade tensions.
During the Dahan season, with the outdoor cold at its peak, please be sure to dress warmly when heading out!
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SMYG LIMITED is an original stock, order electronic components procurement platform, 28 years of component distributors, the company is based on the electronic components industry, based on "honesty and trustworthiness, mutual benefit and win-win" business Philosophy, with the "Internet +" operation mode of integrating advantageous resources, focus-ing on one-stop electronic component procurement, component BOM distribution and other services for electronic components. All components are sourced directly from the original manufacturers and agent channels, ensuring guaranteed quality.
