Everyday items and old appliances have been placed on display at the Yuan Yuxiao Family Museum in Yichang, Hubei province. (WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY)
Curator founded showcase to keep memories alive through the generations
"My grandfather used to beg with this bowl in the 1940s during hard times, and this laptop was once used by my daughter," said Yuan Yuxiao, curator of a family museum he established, while describing each item in detail.
The Yuan Yuxiao Family Museum, situated on the south bank of the Yangtze River in Yichang, Hubei province, was the country's first family-themed museum, and began making preparations back in 2008. It was named after the founder, who has since invested 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) in it.
The museum, covering an area of 20,000 square meters, was opened to the public in 2011 and has welcomed more than 700,000 visitors so far.
The 30,000-plus items stored in the museum fall under 50 categories, and they range from an antique weaving loom to an iPhone along with fashionable dresses. But only 10,000 items are shown to the public at any one time.
"It takes a rather long time to sort out these items. I've spent years learning document-filing and item-arrangement techniques," the 56-year-old former real estate trader said. "It is not only a repository of items used by my family members, but it tells a story which delivers vivid tales featuring time-honored objects."
The habit of collecting used items started with his grandfather, who was laughed at by people for his illiteracy in the 1930s. The grandfather made up his mind that no matter what it took, he would have his children educated. And unused items should be kept to record the family's changes, while letting new generations remember the humiliation that the family has borne for years.
"These things were nothing more than rubbish in other people's eyes, but they are treasures to my family and show our mutual love over an elapsing period," Yuan said.
"I still remember neighbors calling my father a scavenger when I was young. I didn't understand him at the time and thought what he was doing was eccentric."
