Wang Xiaomin reads newspaper in front among stacks that make up his more than 60,000 newspaper collection in Luoyang, Henan Province. Photo: Dahe Daily

Wang displays the smallest newspaper of his collection - Talent Show Pictorial - which is about the size of a postage stamp. Photo: Dahe Daily

For a man obsessed with collecting newspapers, one phrase he'd never yell is "stop the presses."

Wang Xiaomin, a 46-year-old farmer from Luoyang, Henan Province has amassed more than 60,000 newspapers from 6,000 agencies over the past 26 years.

"I want to start the first newspaper museum in Luoyang to exhibit all my collections," explained Wang.

His collection boasts more than 300 special editions, including the Talent Show Pictorial - a full newspaper no bigger than a postage stamp.

Other standouts include a The People's Daily edition announcing Beijing's successful Olympic bid, complete with autograph of Juan Antonio Samaranch, the then-president of the International Olympic Committee.

The collection occupies the entirety of his aging 20-square meter cottage, where stacks as high as 2-meter crowd out the possibility of everything from a couch to a wife.

"Almost all my earnings are spent on collecting newspapers," admitted Wang.

Wang's mini-museum, dubbed the Luoyang Peony Newspaper Collection, has gained the attention of the local tourism board, which issued him a certificate.

"I also was granted a position as an executive member of newspaper collection branch of The Chinese Newspaper Association," said Wang.

Born to a poor farm family, Wang was passionate for literature and writing as a child but was never afforded a chance at an education.

Wang explains he now travels to different cities to expand his collections, as well as meet with fellow newspaper collectors.

"There are collector meetups in Beijing where fans can exhibit and trade their collections," said Wang, adding he's even gotten some locals hooked and starting their own collections. 

Dahe Daily