Changsha Evening News, February 6, Beijing (Zhao Ziming, a special all-media reporter) What is the hottest thing at present? Of course, Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympics, is hard to buy online or offline, but there is a Beijing guy who has collected more than 50 Bing Dwen Dwen styles, many of which are limited edition. What is more surprising is that after more than ten years of accumulation, he has now collected more than 5000 Olympic collections, all of which are placed in a bungalow with an area of more than 30 square meters in a alleyway in Xicheng District, Beijing. When you enter the room, you can feel the full Olympic elements, which can be called a miniature “Olympic Museum”.
“I want to let more people know about the Olympics through my collection. Everyone’s participation is the greatest support for the Olympics!” said Zhang Wenquan, the owner of these collections.
Olympic complex made him fall in love with collection
At the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, Zhang Wenquan, who was in junior high school at that time, watched Chinese athletes compete for gold and silver on the field, and became interested in sports and the Olympics. He also wanted to collect some products around the Olympics as a souvenir. “There was no goal at that time, just bought some Olympic mascots, Olympic watches, landscape flags and so on.”
After Beijing’s successful bid for the Olympic Games in 2001, Zhang Wenquan was also excited when he saw people’s happy expressions on TV and heard the cheers from the streets outside the window. As a Beijinger, Zhang Wenquan’s complex with the Olympics has deepened.
By the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Zhang Wenquan had become a volunteer to print and distribute the results of Wukesong Baseball Field. He was responsible for printing the results report to all business outlets and platforms. His dedication to the Olympic Games won him the title of exemplary individual of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Volunteers.
It was this experience of personally participating in the Beijing Olympic Games that made Zhang Wenquan deepen his understanding and love of the Olympic Games, and also made his interest in collecting Olympic collections increasingly high. From Olympic badges, certificates, tickets, commemorative coins, commemorative stamps, to torch models, venue models, various mascots, landscape flags, to literature, music, games, signatures… Zhang Wenquan’s collections are rich in content and diverse in form. This obsession with the Olympics has earned Zhang Wenquan the title of “Olympic Boy”.
After Beijing successfully bid for the Winter Olympics in 2015, Zhang Wenquan began to collect a large number of souvenirs from all over the world. Today, all his collections have exceeded 5000, including about 1000 Olympic mascots, more than 40 torch models, and more than a dozen hockey balls for the Winter Olympics… These 5000 Olympic collections have condensed Zhang Wenquan’s efforts for more than ten years, and almost every one has a story behind it. For example, he collected more than 30 torches, including 11 for the Beijing Olympic Games alone. “The most expensive torch in my collection is the Winter Olympic torch in Salt Lake City of the United States. I bought it for 12000 yuan at that time, and I collected two.”
Among these collections, Zhang Wenquan’s favorite is the special style of Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, and Shuey Rhon Rhon, the mascot of the Winter Paralympic Games. “This special model is the astronaut version. It is very cute, and the workmanship is also very good. It has a feeling of the future. It is in line with the slogan of this year’s Winter Olympic Games, ‘Together to the future’.”
Every collection is like his child
Over the past decade, there are more than 5000 collections. As an ordinary staff member of a construction company, Zhang Wenquan has spent more than 500000 yuan on collecting Olympic collections, which is almost all his savings. Previously, Zhang Wenquan’s behavior was not understood by his family and friends. “Before, they thought that I had invested too much in the collection of Olympic souvenirs. After all, the amount of money spent was not small.” But now, Zhang Wenquan said that there were more and more people around him who supported him. For example, his father personally assembled 8 shelves for his Olympic collection. Now he will also receive souvenirs from some Olympic-related people. “Everyone’s support for me is my motivation to persevere.”
With the increase in the number and value of Olympic collections, Zhang Wenquan and his Olympic collections have received more and more attention. According to him, in recent years, many people have asked him about the price of the Olympic collections and are willing to recycle them at a high price, but he has rejected them one by one. “Since I took them home, I have not prepared to send them out again. These collections are like my children.”
Now that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games is opening, Zhang Wenquan’s “Olympic Museum” is the most eye-catching collection of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. On the shelf he specially set up for the surrounding products of the Winter Olympic Games, there are more than 100 models of Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon, including no less limited models. Zhang Wenquan proudly said that he may be the person who owns the most Bing Dwen Dwen in the case of “one is hard to find” because of the fire in Bing Dwen Dwen. “Fortunately, he bought it early at that time.”
With so many Bing Dwen Dwen, Zhang Wenquan has been watched by his friends. “I’m sure I can’t give it to them. I can only tell them how to buy it. Now everyone is in a hurry to buy it. In fact, there is no need to worry. After the official replenishment, we should be able to buy it.”
Deliver more Olympic spirit through collection
Zhang Wenquan’s Olympic collection is not only to satisfy his hobbies, but also to think about what he can do with his collection for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Since 2020, Zhang Wenquan has cheered for the Beijing Winter Olympics in various ways: his Olympic collections have been exhibited at Beijing University of Technology and ten primary and secondary schools in Beijing, and during the Winter Olympics, his collections will also be exhibited in more places; Display collections through social media and disseminate Olympic knowledge; Participate in Olympic community activities and cheer for the Winter Olympics; He took part in the shooting of the promotional song “Towards the Future Together” MV of the theme slogan of the Winter Olympic Games in Yiyang Qianxi… He spared no effort to help the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games with his collection, words and deeds.
In 2021, Zhang Wenquan regretfully failed to be elected as a volunteer for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, but this did not stop him from continuing to contribute to the Winter Olympic Games. He has signed up to join the city volunteers and contributed to the Beijing Winter Olympics outside the venue. It is worth mentioning that Zhang Wenquan also contributed to the design of the meal coupons and gift packs for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics. He took photos of his collection of the meal coupons and gift packs for the previous Olympic Games and provided them to the Organizing Committee for reference.
“Towards the future together” is the slogan of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Since its release, this slogan has become the cover of Zhang Wenquan’s WeChat, and his WeChat circle of friends is almost all about the Winter Olympics. With the arrival of the Winter Olympics, Zhang Wenquan and his Olympic collection also received more and more attention
Zhang Wenquan has a unique feeling for Beijing, the “double Olympic” city. Among them, there is not only the surging blood of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, but also the painstaking efforts of collecting Olympic collections for more than ten years; We have witnessed the glory of Beijing’s bid to host the “double Olympic” city, and also the pride of being a native of Beijing. “In the future, I will continue to collect Olympic collections by myself, so that more people will be interested in the Olympics, so as to pay more attention to the Olympics, support the Olympics and participate in the Olympics.”
“Olympic Museum” hidden in Hutong
