How a Palace Museum calendar became red-hot

The 2019 edition of The Imperial Palace Calendar. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

"Red brick", a typical cultural creative product

The first Imperial Palace Calendar was issued in the 1830s in Beijing. A replica of the 1937 edition was published in 2009 and became a smash hit, as it was regarded as a typical cultural creative product from the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Palace Calendar boasts an elegant design with a red cloth cover, the same color as the palace. The similarity led people to give the calendar the nickname "red brick".

The Imperial Palace Calendar has adopted Chinese zodiac themes since 2011. In 2012, the Year of the Dragon, the calendar was upgraded to a multicolor version. Sales for the 2018 edition reached 680,000 copies, and over the years the calendar has diversified.

Shan added, it has been many years since the first issue of the calendar series, which reflects traditional culture and the Imperial Palace's characteristics. Besides, multiple sets of calendars are available -- such as classic, custom-made, the golden collection and Chinese-English bilingual -- as well as related products.

Indeed, the calendar, while tiny, attracts people with its distinctive typesetting and magnificent, elegant shape.