A man from central China's Shaanxi Province is engrossed in collecting Chairman Mao badges. Over the last 18 years, he has collected over 10,000 Chairman Mao badges of various kinds.

Wang Anxi, the badge collector, has developed such a hobby since 1988. At first, it was no more than an excuse to kill time, but gradually he became engrossed in his "cause," finding the hobby provided with him knowledge and joy. Over the last 18 years, he has left his footprints all over northwestern China thanks to his efforts to collect Chairman Mao badges from the countryside.

The walls of his house are all decorated with his collections. Some are made of metal, porcelain, wood and even bamboo. The biggest is as large as a plate, while the tiniest is only the size of a finger tip. In addition to badges, he also collects a number of statues of Chairman Mao.

Some of his collections are quite valuable, including the Chairman Mao in the Long March series and Chairman Mao in Tirana, Albania series.
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(CRI.com November 21, 2006)