Where to buy new year cards in Beijing

The spring festival is just around the corner and we decided to buy some new year cards for clients at last minute. But it turned out to be a very frustrating experience.


The post office had sold out all the new year cards. Watson’s, which used to sell greeting cards some years ago, no longer sold any today. Neither did the stationery store.

Yesterday I waited 25 minutes in minus 6 degrees to get a taxi and the 2.5km journey to Carrefour took another 20 minutes due to bad traffic in the evening. Unluckily, there were only a dozen Christmas cards left on the shelf.

Today I bought all the 32 cards available in a bookstore. But it wasn’t over yet. The cards were produced by Hallmark (there was a logo on the back of each card); while Hallmark channel is one of our competitors (I work for another entertainment channel). Ironic, huh!

Paper greeting cards have quietly withdrawn from stores or even peoples’ lives. I still remember the days when we would exchange new year cards with friends in the early nineties. And every year I would pick some beautiful cards for myself. I keep them till now.

California Dreamin'

All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A.
California dreamin' on such a winter's day


Stopped in to a church I passed along the way
Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray
You know the preacher liked the cold, he knows I'm gonna stay
California dreamin' on such a winter's day


All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray
I've been for a walk on a winter's day
If I didn't tell her I could leave today
California dreamin' on such a winter's day
On such a winter's day, on such a winter's day

For the past 100 days, there hasn’t been a single drop of rain or a flake of snow in Beijing. It’s cold, dry and boring. It suddenly occurred to me why not go to the States for a break as I’d never been there. Last week I got my travel visa. So next stop: US.