Hailing from the southwestern province of Yunnan , farmer Pan Tinghong has made a name for himself by spending more than 10 million yuan (HK$11.36 million) on a collection of 450,000 items related to Mao Zedong memorabilia.
Mr Pan started his collection in 1988, as people began throwing away badges, pins and other items from the 1950s and 1960s. Inspired by the spirit of the 1949 revolution, Mr Pan - an ex-farmer - says his hobby helps him to learn about the culture and history of the years following the Chinese Communist Party's 'liberation' of the mainland.
'I want to collect the Red Army's spirit ... and preserve it, so that it can shine forever,' he says.
Mr Pan calls Mao a great leader, pointing out that he united all of China. Mao and the Red Army represent the principles of unity and strength, he adds. He says young people should learn from the lessons of the past and take pride in their nation.
He defends the millions of yuan spent on his collection, saying the artefacts he has amassed have huge cultural significance. These items represent the history of an entire era, one that the current generation of Chinese should be proud of, and one they can learn from, he explains.
An exhibition of about 5,000 of Mr Pan's artefacts is on at Yuen Long Plaza until Tuesday. It is being held in conjunction with the July 1 anniversary of the founding of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The exhibition is sponsored by Sun Hung Kai Properties.
