The name can be used to refer to the first day, or to the whole period of the solar term, which ends when the sun reaches the longitude of 90 degrees, approximately on 21 June.
The solar terms signify important agricultural dates, and Mangzhong marks the period for seed sowing.
[1] Mangzhong has a cognate of Mang chủng, and was recently popularized without historical recognition in Vietnam[citation needed].
During the Mangzhong period, areas around the middle stream and downstream of the Yangtze River enter the rainy season.
In China's southern Anhui province, people steam dumplings with new fresh wheat flour after seeding the paddy rice.