A Sichuan Province man who for years scavenged thousands of discarded rare and antique books has donated his finds to his provincial library.
Chen Guangwei, 69 of Bazhong, presented 1,168 books during a ceremony at the Sichuan Provincial Library in Chengdu on Friday, many of them rare reference materials and dictionaries dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
Chen, a former farmer, said he has always cherished books despite his elementary school education.
His collection began in 1983 after starting a salvage business.
Chen has since amassed a collection of nearly 50,000 books - around 1,600 Qing antiques and 2,000 from the Republican Era (1911-1949).
In 1997, he opened his library to the public, lending out books free of charge.
"The greatest value books have is when they're read by people who really need them," Chen said.
The self-confessed bibliophile estimates he spends about 20,000 yuan ($2,880) a year on books and bookcases.
Though his family wasn't on the same page at first, Chen said they've since come around.
"We think he is doing something good for people," said grandson Chen Xin.
