Trail never goes cold for old popsicle wrappers
Print Edition
Most people would not take a second look at a popsicle wrapper, but 77-year-old Zhang Wenxiang from Caoyang residential community in Putuo District decided to collect the summer memories.
In seven years, he has not only gathered wrappers in Shanghai but also traveled to a dozen cities, going to numerous exhibitions and eventually collected more than 700 of the papers.
They may seem old and small, but these mementos of childhood bear special meaning for Zhang. Looking at them reminds him of the days when vendors carried wooden suitcases and sold saltwater popsicles on the street, and people sat outside with cattail leaf fans in their hands.
The first wrapper he collected was the size of a novel with “Xushan big cream ice cream” printed on it. Zhang found it by chance at an old book dealer in 2007.
“I was thrilled when seeing it at that time, as ice cream was a luxury when we were young,” he said.
Like everyone else, Zhang didn’t pay attention to the wrappers when he was a kid. But after seeing one 60 years later, he was intrigued enough to start collecting them. He bought that first one on the spot.
“The graphic pattern seems simple, but they have profound meanings,” he said.
The wrapping papers from different time periods have strong and distinct characteristics of each era. For example, the oldest item in Zhang’s collection is one manufactured by Haohua Food Factory during the period of the Republic of China. It depicts a big Mickey Mouse, showing that the ice cream was imported.
During 1950s and 1960s, words like “protecting the country, study hard” were printed on the popsicle papers to encourage the public.
When refrigerators appeared in Shanghai in the 1970s, more flavors like tangerine and cream emerged, and printed on the wrappers were social dance pictures that were very popular at the time.
Zhang also has much more recent but still historical wrappers that commemorate the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. The thin pieces of paper bear witness to major events and carry the memories of a generation.
“Back then, the popsicles were sold in wood boxes wrapped by quilts (to insulate them from the heat) and those that were melted or broken were cheaper,” Zhang recalled. “When I was young, a popsicle cost the same as half a kilo of rice. Having one was something other children would envy.”
Collecting popsicle papers may sound simple, but there are challenges. “Most people just throw away the wrapping papers when they eat the popsicles, and even if they keep it, it’s mostly as bookmarks. I asked around and there aren’t other collectors doing it,” Zhang said.
So he had to find his own way by going to paper exhibitions around the country and asking other collectors for help. Sometimes he has had to wait a year to find a wrapper he’s looking for.
Keeping the papers is also a challenge. Most pieces in his collection are old and have stains, which he scrubbed off gently with water. He then used pins to make the corners flat. After drying the papers, he uses books to flatten them before putting them in plastic envelopes. The whole process takes about a week.
“You can’t put them in the sun, otherwise the corners will tip. I also fix the missing parts,” he said.
He does that by using similar materials, perhaps from other wrappers, and glues or tapes them together.
Zhang spends much of his time searching and arranging his collection. His wife and 11-year-old granddaughter help him.
“My granddaughter started to learn about my collection two or three years ago, asking me about the stories,” Zhang said.
Now she knows his entire collection and will bring him the latest wrappers.
Since 2007, Zhang has collected more than 700 wrappers — 600 of them unique from the others. The remainders are duplicates. Included are about 400 wrappers from outside Shanghai. He plans to keep adding to his ever-expanding collection.
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