Finding treasure in trash: Chinese scrap collector forgoes civil servant path to chase passion for old items, flea markets
- Wu Kaisi was all set up to pursue a stable and typical life as a Chinese civil servant
- But Wu had other ideas, and prefers to dig through garbage bins for second-hand goods
“My parents think I am a disgrace,” said 27-year-old Wu Kaisi. “Being famous for collecting scraps is as disgraceful to them as being famous for running naked in the streets.”
“My parents always wanted me to be a civil servant or work in the system, as many parents do in traditional northern Chinese families,” Wu said.
Instead, these days the Shanxi native can often be found digging through heaps of discarded items, or treasure hunting at the local flea markets near his home in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guandong province in southern China, on Saturday mornings and Monday evenings.
But Wu says this is more than just a way to make money for him: he is trying to build a culture in China that accepts and embraces second-hand commerce, like the flea markets and garage sales that flourish in other parts of the world.