HONG Tao, curator of the Museum of Hanlin Inscription Boards in Minhang, is a collector and researcher obsessed with this ancient culture.

He has spent his money and energy on collecting 1,787 inscribed boards and is considered somewhat of a global expert on the subject.

"The Hanlin inscribed board is a signature of Chinese culture," Hong said. "I'm trying to find all the abandoned boards, even though they may be derelict, to preserve them for future generations."

In 2004, Hong quit his job in an investment consulting firm to focus full-time on collecting inscribed boards.

Some visitors to the museum think he is perhaps just a nutty multimillionaire. He laughs at the characterization.

Hong's wife, though, admitted her husband has done some odd things in pursuit of his passion. She recalled the time he got a phone call at midnight and left soon after with thousands of yuan. He was gone several days. When he returned, dirty and tired, he proudly showed her three inscribed boards he had bought.

Since the late 1980s, Hong has been scouring old villages in Jiangxi, Jiangsu and Fujian provinces. He said horizontal inscribed boards haven't been well documented or researched, even in modern times.

Research center

In 2004, about the time Hong quit his job, the China Ancient Horizontal Inscribed Board Research Center was established on Hongxu Road in Minhang as a joint project between Hong and Fudan University.

At that time, people guessed that Hong might be the son of a rich family because of all the money he was pouring into his cause. In addition to collecting costs, there was rent to pay for the museum site and for four warehouses. Only family and close friends knew that finances were tight. Some suggested he sell part of his collection, but he refused.

At the museum, he serves as curator, researcher, guide and collector. He keeps extensive files on his collection.

"It doesn't matter if some people think I am insane," he said of his obsession. "I don't thirst for understanding. I only want to save something for later generations."

Oddly enough, Hong began his career in the aviation industry in northern China, after graduating in 1978 with a degree in aircraft materials.

In the 1980s, he served as a representative for a joint venture in the southeastern city of Xiamen. It was a decent job with good pay. At one point, he was asked to look for a special species of bamboo that grew in Fujian, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces.

In the ancient villages in Fujian, it was wooden inscribed boards, not bamboo, that caught his eye.

Villagers didn't seem to care about the boards. Hong thought it a pity that they were left to deteriorate. So he bought a few and took them home. An obsession was born.

Hong still remembers the excitement of finding the first boards.

"The Chinese characters on the boards were so amazing," Hong said. "I invited friends from all walks of life to come and see them. Some were specialist enough to understand my excitement."

In 1992, Hong moved to Shanghai, expanding his network of board tipsters and reputation through villagers, antique shop owners and scholars.

"I really enjoy the search for these boards," he said. "I like everything about the old villages I visit, from the flowers to the houses, and the villagers themselves. I believe my work is meaningful, and I am happy to see others taking an interest in this ancient culture."

It was fortuitous that Hong became acquainted, somewhat by accident, with Wang Chongxiao, the director of film documentaries such as "The Summer Palace" and "The Palace Museum."

Wang agreed to make a film about Hong's boards as part of an effort to get them designated as national cultural heritage. The filmmaking took half a month, and when it was done, Wang donated all the money he made from the film to Hong's museum.

Art collecting is not without its drama. Hong said he has been cheated, bullied and insulted since he began his work. One time, a man whose cart he was using to transport dozens of inscribed boards he had bought in the countryside of Jiangsu Province turned and accused him of illegally trading in cultural relics. The police were called in. Hong, who was almost arrested, had a lot of explaining to do.

Whatever the travails, his efforts have been more than compensated by support from people who understand and believe in his cause.

Support from friends

Like a man named Ruan Yisan, who donated boards and related documents from his grandfather's estate to Hong.

"The people who support me drive and encourage me to keep going and never give up my dream," Hong said. "Nowadays, the museum is famous for the comprehensiveness and richness of its exhibits."

Most of the boards hang on the walls in rooms preserved in the style of Old China. The oldest exhibit is a wooden board dating back to the Song Dynasty in 1266.

It was inscribed by Mai Zicheng, a scholar of the era. The characters talk about his job and symbolize his social standing, Hong tells visitors. He found the board in Jiangxi.

Most of the exhibits in the museum date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. In those ancient times, inscribed boards were popularly given as gifts by the wealthy.

The 2011, the museum was among six private folk collection exhibition halls to receive district funding, winning a grant for 15,000 yuan (US$2,439).

Hong's passion has kept him young. Born in 1957, Hong looks younger than his age. He keeps looking forward.

"It's my wish to build a workshop and exhibition center for horizontal inscribed boards in the future," Hong said. "It is a way to bring more attention to the preservation of this valuable cultural heritage."

Board walk

The history of inscribed boards dates back to a time when life was recorded in symbols and symbols were written in charcoal on pieces of wood, Hong's research shows.

Dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), hero warriors often sought gratitude from their emperors in the form of inscribed boards rather than plots of land or other gifts. They believed the boards were more fitting tributes to their glory and could be passed on to heirs.

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), shops typically hung inscribed boards outside to advertise their goods and series. But it wasn't until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that inscribed boards reached their apex of popularity and were commonly used in ancestral halls.

The most valuable boards are those inscribed by famous calligraphers and honorable government officials. The plaques written by Qing Dynasty Prime Minister Wang Jie (1725-1805) and General Zhang Xueliang (1901-2001) are among the most valuable exhibits in Hong's museum.

The Museum of Hanlin Inscription Boards

Address: 1/F, Bldg 4, 731 Hongxu Rd

Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10:30am-9pm