Wheat fields are harvested in Heilongjiang province. (LIU SHUAIYE / FOR CHINA DAILY)
The harvest season marks an important date in the Chinese farming calendar, with crops being gathered in for food and animal feed.
Celebrated since 2018, the Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival coincides with the Autumnal Equinox, which falls in the third week of September.
A look at the history and customs associated with harvest time shows just how vital it is, with the nation's fast-paced development stemming from ancient agricultural harvests.
Although there is now a set date for harvest festival, in the past, the dates for it depended on when all crops had been brought in. Entire communities, including children, needed to help, as lives depended on a successful harvest.
A farmer shows lotus roots he harvested from a pond in Donglin town, Huzhou city, Zhejiang province. (XU YU / XINHUA)
This year, the festival fell on Sept 23. In Northeast China, rice crops spread across thousands of kilometers of fertile land, with soybeans swaying like tiny bells. In East China, silkworm growers prepared for a bumper harvest of cocoons.
The colors of harvest highlight the country's achievements in rural areas and also tell a story of joy and hope.
Chillies have been profitable for farmers in Nayong county, Guizhou province. (LUO DAFU / XINHUA)
Fishermen in Lianjiang county, Fujian province, harvest razor clams. (JIANG KEHONG / XINHUA)
Farmers in Hongrui village, Pingluo county, Ningxia Hui autonomous region, plant potatoes in the desert. (YANG ZHISEN / XINHUA)
Farmers try to catch fish at a pond in Yongzhou, Hunan province. (JIANG KEQING / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Visitors admire agricultural produce at the Farmers' Harvest Festival in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. (JIANG HUA / FOR CHINA DAILY)
