Saving the date

Chang summarized the quote of the day with a word and framed it as, "It's a good (or bad day) to …", underneath which the quote was placed as the explanation. Ancient Chinese would refer to huangli to guide such decisions as when they should host weddings or perform funeral rites, or start long journeys.

The editorial team at One Way Street Bookstore decided to make a printed version at the end of 2015. They carefully selected 366 quotes from more than 10,000, confirmed their attributions and matched them with the best summaries.

"Ancient almanacs had very sophisticated systems that reflected ordinary people's customs developed over thousands of years. This highly efficient system not only carried the complexity of traditional culture but also presented a benign interaction between users and calendars," says Zhang Fan, one of the designers.

"Young people have abandoned the system. Its value has been underestimated."

Hence, the Owspace Desk Calender is called the "young people's old huangli".

Its creators also designed an Owspace Calendar App that allows readers access to recommended extended readings.

The 2016 Owspace Desk Calendar sold 70,000 copies, which more than doubled to 150,000 the next year, and doubled again to 300,000 copies for the 2018 edition.

The 2017 edition won a Reddot Award for "its successful combination of classical tradition and modern technology". The jury praised "its tidy and clear design".

Apart from the its aesthetics, thoughts-of-the-day and traditional elements, the useful information these calendars provide also attracts buyers.

This year, Cheers Publishing Corp cooperated with dxy.com, a website that popularizes medical knowledge, to make the Health Calendar 2019, the third edition of its kind.

Each page presents a "truth", followed by a detailed explanation.

For example, on April 7, 2019, World Health Day, the calendar states that "underpants should be changed every day" and offers a detailed explanation: "Underpants house many bacteria that will increase with time … It doesn't count if you wear the same pair inside out".