Quirky Winter Olympics: collector has 5,000 souvenirs, man gets panda mascot ‘Bing Dwen Dwen’ shaved into head
- A barber in eastern China shaved a pattern of Olympic mascot ‘Bing Dwen Dwen’ into a customer’s head
- A Beijing native has collected more than 5,000 Olympic mementos over the course of 20 years
Zhang Wenquan, a 35-year-old Beijinger, has collected more than 5,000 Olympic mementos over the course of 20 years, the Chengdu Business News reported.
“I now have 70 to 80 ‘Bing Dwen Dwen’ plush toys and figures,” Zhang said proudly. “There should be more than 200 if you count other related collections!”
Zhang has been collecting “Bing Dwen Dwen” products since 2019. Instead of hoarding and speculating, his collection is motivated by a love of souvenirs. He said that he has turned down many requests from friends to purchase one of his “Bing Dwen Dwen” collectibles.
Zhang started to collect Olympic souvenirs during the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and he has souvenirs from every Summer Olympics, Winter Olympics, Youth Olympics, and even Universiade. One of his most prized possessions is the torch from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which cost about 12,000 yuan (US$1,875).
02:16
China’s obsession with Beijing Winter Olympic panda mascot sparks souvenir buying spree
Zhang has spent 400,000 to 500,000 yuan (US$62,500 to $78,130) on his Olympic collection over the years.
“In addition to the necessary expenses, almost all my salary is spent on the collection,” Zhang said.