The Collector
Shang Kaiwei 1 owns and runs a chain of driving schools and several taxi cab firms. A successful businessman in his sixties, he has long been a collector, though his collections are a little diverse. They include Mao badges and photographs from the Cultural Revolution, laughing Buddha statues, weird crystal formations, American-made toy cars, bonsai, millstones and antiques.
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| Millstones | Photo of Zhu De meeting Mei Lanfang. | Each draw contains over one hundred badges, a collection of thousands. |
These hand-turned millstones were used to grind various grains and legumes (soy beans and peas) into a paste. They’ve now largely been replaced by machines.
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The car collection….
It may be a little difficult to make out from the photo, but it’s a model of President Kennedy’s car just before a shadowy figure poked his head above a grassy knoll.
