This print contains the Lunar calendar for the 25th year of the Qing dynasty emperor Guang Xu. The earliest Chinese almanac woodblock prints were produced in the Tang dynasty. Prior to that, Chinese almanacs were handwritten.The Chinese Almanac, or Tong Shu (通书), is a fortune-telling calendar record which marks out auspicious days and timings for daily activities such as harvesting. Other information includes fengshui (风水), the weather forecast, charms for the treatment of common illnesses and misfortunes, images of deities, and moral codes. Some people today still use the book as a reference to auspicious periods for weddings, travelling or moving to a new house.This print was produced in Taohuawu, a village in Suzhou province famous for its new year prints.
