Calendar production, calendar printing, calendar design

　　China's calendar system dates back approximately four thousand years. An oracle bone calendar unearthed provides evidence of a relatively sophisticated calendar system during the Shang Dynasty. This oracle bone calendar is considered the oldest physical calendar in human history; it is also known as a daily calendar.

　　Tang Dynasty poetry includes the line: "In the mountains there is no calendar, the passing of winter is unknown." 'Lìrì' (历日) might refer to the earliest desk calendars. During the Tang Dynasty, court historians would cut paper daily and bind it into volumes, one for each month. Each page listed the month and day, leaving blank space for court eunuchs to record the emperor's activities. This was known as the 'lìrì'.

　　At the end of each month, the 'lìrì' was submitted to the emperor for review, then archived by court historians for use in compiling the official history. Due to its time-keeping and record-keeping functions, it was widely imitated by civil and military officials.

Early Development

　　Historical records indicate that calendars were already in use in the imperial palace approximately 1100 years ago, in the first year of the Yongzhen era of Emperor Shunzong of Tang. These calendars, also known as imperial calendars, not only recorded dates but also served as important materials for compiling the official history. They were similar to booklets, divided into 12 volumes representing the 12 months of the year; the number of pages in each volume corresponded to the number of days in that month. The month and day were written on each page. These calendars were temporarily kept by eunuchs who served the emperor. Each day, the eunuchs recorded the emperor’s activities in the blank spaces. At the end of each month, they submitted the calendar to the emperor for approval before sending it to the court historians. The historians would then combine the information from the calendar with major events from the court, the country, and other regions. After refining and polishing this information, they compiled it into the official history.

　　Later, due to the convenience calendars provided, they gradually entered the homes of high-ranking officials. These officials adapted and created their own calendars. With the further popularization and domestication of calendars, people began printing the celestial stems and earthly branches, lunar months, the solar terms, and auspicious days from the calendar books onto calendars, leaving large blank spaces for making notes.

　　The development of lunar calendars into wall calendars and desk calendars is a relatively recent phenomenon, occurring within the last century. The evolution of desk calendar styles, from simple initial designs to the many variations available today, is largely due to recent developments in market economics and the widespread adoption of the internet, which have facilitated cultural exchange. This is evident in the trend of desk calendars becoming smaller and more refined.