The Origin of Qingming Festival Qingming was originally one of the 24 solar terms in the Chinese lunar calendar. In the agricultural age, people sowed in spring and harvested in autumn, so they invented the 24 solar terms. As the only solar term that has become a festival among the 24 solar terms, the origin of Qingming is related to the story of Jie Zitui of Mount Mianshan. (More about the origin of Qingming Festival)