A traditional Chinese house restored to its former glory. (Photo : China Daily)
A man in China has an interesting hobby and collection. Qin Tongqian loves ancient Chinese houses so much that whenever he spots them, he buys them and restores them for everyone to see them back into their former glory.
Qin Tongjian owns more than 400 wooden structures. While collecting can be anybody's hobby, few collect houses as Qin. He often purchases entire houses built in ancient China and restores them to how they looked in the ancient period. Instead of selling them to earn sizeable profits, he gives the public a chance to view these houses.
To rebuild the houses, he also stocked up on hundreds of rosewood beds, chairs, dining sets, windows and many more--usually ancient-looking and more than several centuries old.
All of these are stocked in four factory-like warehouses. The count is still ongoing though, as only one warehouse had been went through by workers determining the number of items. The workers took six months to account for the items just for one warehouse and there are still three more.
Qin is currently the owner of a real-estate company located in Shanghai. He grew up in Shao-xing, surrounded by mostly old mansions.
The 52-year-old said: "They are my source of pain and happiness."
He added that he is a strong supporter of traditional Chinese culture. Ever since he started his hobby, most people, including his own friends and family, think he is crazy. While people are looking into modern houses, he is looking into storing ancient houses.
Qin's collection now boasts of houses, ancestral temples and even opera houses.
