Collecting memories for over 30 years
By Ran Tao and Shen Li |
June 25, 2013, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHENEVER a new stamp makes its debut, the same person will appear at Nanxiang Post Office in Jiading District.
Silently waiting at the front of the line will be Qiu Wei, a devoted stamp collector. The Jiading native has been collecting stamps for 33 years and now has about 30,000 stamps, commemorative envelopes and postcards.
Qiu's home is like a small museum. The two rooms are full of shelves and cupboards full of stamp albums.
The 45-year-old sounds as excited as a youngster as he points out: "These are the Olympic stamps and those are the Chinese Zodiac stamps."
Qiu said his hobby started in 1981 when he was 12 years old.
That year, one of his friends sent him a letter, and the stamp featuring the Monkey King, one of the characters in the Chinese classic "Journey to the West," on the envelope aroused his interest. The stamp became the first of his collection.
"Searching for stamps was more important than having meals," Qiu said. At that time, he was a student at Nanxiang Primary School and the post office was not far from the school. Each time a new stamp was about to be issued, he would rush to the post office during a 10-minute class break to ask the postman if the new stamps arrived. Sometimes, he went twice or three times a day.
He also spent most of his pocket money, which should have been used for his meals, on buying stamps. His family always complained: "Why do you spend money on these useless papers instead of buying meals?"
To make sure he gets the new stamps when they are issued, Qiu spends the night before in line.
"It can be compared with buying Spring Festival train tickets," Qiu said.
On January 5, the stamp of the Year of Snake made its debut and Qiu was at the front of the line with food and a small stool as early as 4:30pm the day before. After more than 10 hours of waiting, he became the first person to get his hands on the stamp. "I met the first snow of 2013 when I stood or sat on the stool at night in the line outdoors. This was really tiring but when I got the stamp I felt it all worthwhile," Qiu said.
Stamps have become the most important thing in Qiu's life. Each month, he spends more than 2,000 yuan (US$326) on buying stamps. "Previously, there are just a few debuts so I saved much of my salary but now there are lots of them and there is just a little left from the salary," Qiu said.
Qiu has collected many precious stamps over the 30 years but he is not willing to sell any of them. Stamps of "Portrait of Ladies," which depicts upper-middle class women during the imperial ages, and "Romance of the Western Chamber," a classic romantic drama, that were issued in the early 1980s are now worth 1,500 yuan each. Someone wanted to purchase these stamps at that price but Qiu declined the offer.
"I am not investing in the stamps. Collecting stamps means collecting memories to me."
Qiu recalled that he needed to collect more than 20 days of pocket money to buy a stamp, which cost him two yuan when he was young.
Qiu has a dream to open an exhibition room for stamps, commemorative envelopes and postcards to share his collection with others.
Silently waiting at the front of the line will be Qiu Wei, a devoted stamp collector. The Jiading native has been collecting stamps for 33 years and now has about 30,000 stamps, commemorative envelopes and postcards.
Qiu's home is like a small museum. The two rooms are full of shelves and cupboards full of stamp albums.
The 45-year-old sounds as excited as a youngster as he points out: "These are the Olympic stamps and those are the Chinese Zodiac stamps."
Qiu said his hobby started in 1981 when he was 12 years old.
That year, one of his friends sent him a letter, and the stamp featuring the Monkey King, one of the characters in the Chinese classic "Journey to the West," on the envelope aroused his interest. The stamp became the first of his collection.
"Searching for stamps was more important than having meals," Qiu said. At that time, he was a student at Nanxiang Primary School and the post office was not far from the school. Each time a new stamp was about to be issued, he would rush to the post office during a 10-minute class break to ask the postman if the new stamps arrived. Sometimes, he went twice or three times a day.
He also spent most of his pocket money, which should have been used for his meals, on buying stamps. His family always complained: "Why do you spend money on these useless papers instead of buying meals?"
To make sure he gets the new stamps when they are issued, Qiu spends the night before in line.
"It can be compared with buying Spring Festival train tickets," Qiu said.
On January 5, the stamp of the Year of Snake made its debut and Qiu was at the front of the line with food and a small stool as early as 4:30pm the day before. After more than 10 hours of waiting, he became the first person to get his hands on the stamp. "I met the first snow of 2013 when I stood or sat on the stool at night in the line outdoors. This was really tiring but when I got the stamp I felt it all worthwhile," Qiu said.
Stamps have become the most important thing in Qiu's life. Each month, he spends more than 2,000 yuan (US$326) on buying stamps. "Previously, there are just a few debuts so I saved much of my salary but now there are lots of them and there is just a little left from the salary," Qiu said.
Qiu has collected many precious stamps over the 30 years but he is not willing to sell any of them. Stamps of "Portrait of Ladies," which depicts upper-middle class women during the imperial ages, and "Romance of the Western Chamber," a classic romantic drama, that were issued in the early 1980s are now worth 1,500 yuan each. Someone wanted to purchase these stamps at that price but Qiu declined the offer.
"I am not investing in the stamps. Collecting stamps means collecting memories to me."
Qiu recalled that he needed to collect more than 20 days of pocket money to buy a stamp, which cost him two yuan when he was young.
Qiu has a dream to open an exhibition room for stamps, commemorative envelopes and postcards to share his collection with others.
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