Life of Guangzhou - Young Man Finds Home in Antique Postcards of Canton

'Canton', the Portuguese or French Romanization of 'Guangzhou', is still a very popular spot among overseas Chinese and foreigners. As such, antique postcards depicting the historic architecture and daily life of the ancient city have been a nine-year source of fascination for 26-year-old Wilson Shengwen Mai, a local Cantonese and one of the youngest 'veteran' collectors in Guangzhou. Mai began collecting when he was in high school, at the age of 17.

"Antique postcards are very attractive and interesting because they capture history and heritage vividly," he said. "Parts of my collection have been mailed to many major parts of the world, which is an excellent way to share my hometown of Canton with people living abroad. I want to make the best use of these antiques to continue promoting my hometown to the outside world."

Wilson Shengwen Mai appreciates his collection of postcards at home. (Yangcheng Evening News)

A mix of traditional and modern

Mai represents a mix of Chinese heritage and Western culture. He grew up and received his fundamental education in the downtown area of Guangzhou, where he was deeply influenced by local traditions. In the meantime, he dedicated himself to the study of Western languages and culture on campus, which enabled him to draw on aspects of the East and the West.

Unlike his 'old-fashioned' peers who are mainly limited to local open antique markets, Mai enjoys the new generation's approach to finding his treasures, such as attending online auctions at various renowned domestic and overseas websites.

Thanks to his major in English and minor in Deutsch at the Guangzhou-based Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Mai feels confident communicating with foreign postcard sellers and collectors, which facilitates a much broader international perspective for his hunting.

Through years of collecting he has become well versed in the history and culture of Guangzhou, with a keen perception and a subtle sense of detail.

"The cross on the roof of the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral was originally different from how it looks now. Had the builders referred to my postcard of the cathedral (which dates back to 1906) they would surely have done a much more accurate renovation," Mai said, illustrating his idea to one of the chief engineers responsible for renovating the famous cathedral in late 2006.

One-third of monthly salary goes to postcard collection

Mai focuses primarily on antique postcards of ancient Canton published by China's government, as well as other business agencies from different countries and regions, such as Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan and Hong Kong. His collection mostly covers the period from the late Qing Dynasty (at the turn of 19th and 20th centuries) to the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

He is extremely proud of his large collection, which includes over 800 pieces on some 60 different subjects – several of which are unique, as far as his research can tell.

"I spend almost one-third of my monthly income on postcards as soon as the salary reaches my bank account," said Mai. His most precious item is a newly-bought series depicting a Canton Panorama, a set of four continuous postcards, which cost nearly 3,000 US dollars.

Part-time writer and potential donator

Last year, Mai started a special column in the Guangzhou Morning Post and contributed 36 articles with his postcards to commemorate the city's 2,222nd anniversary, and is now preparing a serial piece for Life of Guangzhou per our request. He is also working independently on a pictorial book about Canton, which would illustrate the centurial evolution of Guangzhou through his postcards.

"There are large numbers of people interested in Guangzhou that want more information about the city – and the numbers are rapidly increasing, especially as the Guangzhou Asian Games draws near," he said, confident in the promising future of his proposed works.

When asked if he would ever sell his collections for profit, he insisted "I'd rather donate my collections to a museum or a research institute some day in the future."

Mai's profile

Wilson Shengwen Mai poses during his travel to Gulang Yu, Xiamen (Kulangsoo, Amoy) in Fujian Province in 2008.

Wilson Shengwen Mai was born in Guangzhou in 1982 and spent his childhood and youth there. He received his BA in English Linguistics from the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in 2005 and is currently taking the part-time Masters Program of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages at Jinan University. He has worked at the Guangzhou Municipal Information Technology Bureau since graduation and can be reached at congratulation8@hotmail.com.

(By Ronald Li)

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