Yellowed bills, rusty farm tools, delicate sewing machines... In a small double-storey building at Fengnan Farm in Xinmin Town, Tong'an District, three exhibition halls are divided into three exhibition halls filled with a variety of folk collections, which are the "painstaking efforts" of Hong Baota, a collector of old folk objects.
All kinds of old objects of Southern Fujian folklore are eye-catching. He Dongfang/Photo
Hong Baota is a native of Tong'an, 63 years old. In the past 25 years, he has gone to many places to buy old objects, accumulating tens of thousands of collectibles such as telephones, bills, bicycles, top hat beads, sewing machines, etc., with a wide range of categories.
Love the old objects of Minnan folk customs
Since childhood, Hong Baota has a special love for the folk culture of southern Fujian, and regrets that some traditional folk culture has gradually disappeared. He said, "We must retain the local sounds and memories, and pass on the folk culture of southern Fujian to the next generation." ”
Hong Baota introduced the old objects in the collection to reporters. He Dongfang/Photo
More than 20 years ago, he was a military engineer in the army, and after retiring from the army, he began to collect the traditional production tools and civilian daily necessities of southern Fujian, and used one by one to confirm the history of cultural changes in southern Fujian. His collection is very wide, and there are objects closely related to the development of Minnan culture, which he regards as collectibles. Nowadays, the collection is no longer limited to the old objects of southern Fujian folklore, but also dabbles in old objects from abroad.
As more and more old objects are collected, Hong Pagoda plans to build several exhibition halls to display old objects in different categories. He thought of the small double-storey building that he rented out to others as a storefront, so he asked several friends who were also collectors to help plan the layout of the space. When all was said and done, Hong Pagoda vacated three rooms of more than 100 square meters, and invited master craftsmen to carefully transform three empty rooms. As the collection increases, the three exhibition halls are renovated every year.
Today, entering the exhibition hall, the ancient style is full of ancient style, and the various collections are dazzling. The entire exhibition hall is properly laid out, displayed in different categories, the head of the old industry, the traditional supplies of the home, the objects of folk customs, all the eyes are all in sight. From a one-person movie projector to a slight badge and bill, each piece carries history and culture, witnessing the ups and downs of the times.
Let more people know about folk culture
For Hong Baota, the proudest collection is the old telephone in the cabinet, the pulse telephone, the digital telephone, the big brother... These telephone sets of different eras are the treasures of Hong Baota, which he carefully treasures.
"The phones you just looked at were hand-cranked and dialed, and then there were digital phones." Mr. Hong said he was most proud of a hand-cranked telephone, like a rectangular satchel. He told reporters that the hand-cranked telephone was originally the first hand-cranked telephone of the Xiamen Post and Telecommunications Bureau, and the original exhibition was placed in the Gulangyu Council Hall. Later, the council building was withdrawn, and the previous collector of the hand-cranked telephone was acquired from the owner. When he first heard the news, he was very excited, called the collector, and the other party saw that he was sincere and sold him the telephone.
For 25 years, no matter where Hong Pagoda goes, it has taken the matter of collecting old folk objects to heart. As soon as he heard someone in the circle say that there were precious old objects anywhere, he would try to find them. As soon as he had time, he went to various antique markets to "treasure hunting".
With the increasing number of fine products in the collection, Hong Pagoda has become a well-known folk collector in Tong'an. These collections have also received public attention, and many schools will borrow some collections from him to carry out folklore education practice classes and exhibitions.
Hong Baota said that next, he also hopes to exhibit the collection to various cultural centers to make these old objects "alive". While the audience appreciates the old objects, the value of the old objects can naturally be highlighted, and more people can understand the folk culture of southern Fujian.
Source: Haixi Morning Post