Calendar store's date with destiny

Changing times

Back in the 1990s, it was common for people to buy dozens of calendars as New Year gifts for friends, and companies would buy in bulk－usually thousands of calendars－for their employees. Jin said that was a golden age of the calendar market.

He said there were basically three periods for calendars in Beijing: "At first, many big publishing houses produced calendars, including China Film Press and Jinghua Printing. Those factories gradually quit mass production, leaving several small workshops to handle it.

"Since 2000, because of the high cost of materials in Beijing, nearly all the printing plants have moved to South China, where I source my supplies. They have better quality and printing skills and better paper than the factories in the north."

Jin said today he is supported by his regular customers and those who desire to keep the New Year's tradition alive.

"Over the years, I've got used to my job and I've never thought about changing it. Many of my old friends and neighbors who have been buying calendars here for decades visit my store every year, and they tell me to stick to it," he said.

Every time he makes a sale, Jin tells his customer, "See you next year."

However, as some regulars have passed away, he said he really treasures his yearly meetings with customers.

"Calendars are a kind of folk custom. They have special meanings, such as life and death," he said. "Young people now may not have the chance to understand that, for us old men, tearing out a page represents having lost a day. And when we die, the calendar will show the date as it is."

Jin is now planning a calendar museum to show exhibits donated by friends not only in China but also from other countries. He said he will continue running his store as long as his health permits.